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The Renault Rafale will make its world premiere later today as a new halo car for the French brand. Inspired by the world of aviation, as evident in its name borrowed from a 1930s racing airplane and its debut at the Paris Air Show, the Rafale embodies the automaker’s latest design language and technology. The coupe-style SUV is mechanically related to the Austral and will only be offered with E-Tech hybrid powertrains.

While the Rafale shares the CMF-CD underpinnings with its counterparts, the Austral and Espace, it will boast a distinctive appearance with unique body panels. At the front, it showcases arrow-shaped LED DRLs complemented by Peugeot-style LED headlights. The grille, positioned beneath the sharp nose, features an aero-friendly pattern, optimizing airflow and relegating most of the cooling to the lower bumper intake.

More: New Renault Espace Debuts As A Longer Austral SUV With Seven Seats

From what we’ve seen up until now, the Rafale exhibits a conservative profile characterized by toned-up fenders, sleek gloss black cladding, and sharp lines along the lower part of the doors. The standout feature is the sloping roofline, giving the coupe-SUV silhouette its distinctive look. At the rear, Renault takes a unique approach with high-mounted Y-shaped LED taillights, an integrated ducktail spoiler on the tailgate, a prominent roof spoiler, and a sleek rear bumper that conceals the exhaust pipes for a clean appearance.

Inside, the dashboard and digital cockpit will be carried over from its Austral and Espace siblings. This means that the Rafale will feature a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster alongside a 12-inch touchscreen for the OpenR infotainment system, and an available 9.3-inch head-up display.

That’s all we have for now. Although some low-resolution images of the Rafale have already surfaced online, we’ll have to wait until 1:00 PM EST or 7:00 PM CET for the official presentation, which you can watch in the live stream video below.

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