Renault’s new small SUV will be called ‘Symbioz’

Renault has announced the name of yet another ‘compact family SUV’ that it will unveil in Spring 2024. Please do try and stay awake at the back.

Anyway, this new crossover will be called the Renault Symbioz. Strange decision to name it after one of the groups that Simon Cowell put together on The X Factor, or a team on The Apprentice, but here we are.

The name Symbioz isn’t actually new to Renault, though. In fact, the brand slapped the name on an electric concept car back in 2017 and then used it again later that year on a further developed, self-driving ‘demo car’.

Despite the fact that seven years have passed since then, this new Symbioz won’t actually be electric or self-driving. Hooray for progress. The 4.41m long crossover will feature an E-Tech full hybrid system with 143bhp. Oh, and Renault handily points out that it will weigh under 1,500kg.

We’re told that Symbioz borrows from the French word ‘symbiose’, which itself is derived from the ancient Greek ‘symbiosis’ meaning ‘living together’. “This is a value deeply rooted in the DNA of Renault,” says erm… Renault, in a press release. “With the brand committed to producing vehicles that completely fulfil the mantra of ‘cars for living’.”

Better than the opposite of that thing, we guess.

The Symbioz will be ever so slightly longer than the Captur, and we’re told that it’ll feature a fancy panoramic glass roof. Not much more detail than that yet though.

Sylvia Dos Santos, who has the wonderful job as head of naming strategy in Renault’s marketing department, said: “For this new compact family car, we wanted a name with human significance, expressing the close bond between a family and their car. The name Symbioz perfectly illustrates life with our vehicle, a place where passengers are as one with their vehicle and the environment.”

So, there we have it folks. It’s time for you to truly connect with your small, hybrid crossover. Good luck.