Renault's stand at Geneva was supposed to be entirely electrified this year, if the show hadn't even cancelled by coronavirus. Even with the Palexpo doors firmly sealed shut, Renault managed to grab a lot of the headlines thanks to its EV concept car, the Morphoz.
Also scheduled to appear on the stands was the less exciting but far more relevant plug-in hybrid Captur, called the Captur E-Tech, which can travel up to 30 miles on pure electric. Renault's small crossover is built on the same platform as the Clio, which also gets the hybrid treatment for 2020, but where the Captur is plug-in, the Clio is a full hybrid. Both cars fall into Renault's E-Tech electrified range.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about the new Captur E-Tech PHEV.
How does it look?
If you're expecting bold, attention grabbing styling from the Captur E-Tech, then you're out of luck: it looks exactly the same as the standard model. The only clue to its battery power from the outside is the addition of E-Tech badges on the boot.
Still, it's not the worst looking B-SUV, so perhaps Renault were right not to mess around with it.
What's going on inside?
More E-Tech badging is found on the gear leaver and the tailgate, which, again, is more or less the only immediate difference from the regular version. There's also a cable storage compartment underneath the boot floor. The Captur E-Tech does get a unique infotainment system, with a 9.3 inch touchscreen and 10.2 inch digital driver display from which the driver can monitor the battery range, charge times and regenerative braking rates.
Every Captur in the range comes with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as well as 4G internet connectivity.
And underneath the bonnet?
The Renault Captur E-Tech is powered by a 1.6 litre petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator and an electric motor (POWER). Its 9,8kWh battery is claimed to be capable of 30 miles of pure electric driving, which works at speeds up to 83mph. It also features a single pedal mode, much like the Nissan Leaf, which dials up the regenerative braking and makes in-town driving easy.
Renault promises that the regenerative braking system ensures the Captur E-Tech always has enough charge to move the car from a stop and drive at slow speeds. All of this electric trickery means the Captur E-Tech has a promised fuel economy of 188mpg and CO2 emissions of just 34g/km.
How much will it cost and when can you get one?
The Captur E-Tech will be available to order from April, with prices starting around £28,000.
Keyword: Renault Captur E-Tech PHEV 2020: plug-in power for Renault's popular crossover