For the fourth time, Renault Design has given us a prototype that has not been worked out to the production stage. It may look like a more streamlined version of the Captur, but the codename HJA stands for something else.
Text: Tony Vos - Photos: copyright Renault Design
In 1982, the Centre Technique Renault (CTA) opened in Aubevoye, the test track where all the brand's newly developed models have been put to the test since that year. The test centre has many kilometres of test tracks with all kinds of surfaces, from smooth asphalt to cobblestones and the typical Belgian and northern French cobblestones.
Aubevoye is also a prime location where new models can be shown and assessed in the open air, away from the prying eyes of spies. The large tarmac surface allows a certain distance when presenting new models and concepts, so that the cars in question can be viewed from a different angle outside.
While the three prototypes we presented in previous issues were all photographed in the courtyard of Renault Design in Guyancourt, this Renault HJA concept is standing on the large square of the Aubevoye test track in the early winter cold of 2016. HJA is an internal codename, with the H standing for an SUV.
The detailing of the HJA is well done, as seen on the mirrors, the rear lights and the front.
At first glance, it appears to be a Renault Captur Coupé, but Laurens van den Acker immediately snaps us out of our reverie. “This project was developed as part of the 15-40 programme, from the Mégane IV to the Espace V, while the Captur was based on the B platform. Most of the cars in the 15-40 range are pragmatic in design and usability. They are cars with a lot of interior space, a large boot like a sedan or a crossover. In fact, as designers, we were also looking for emotion, an emotion we had already shown in 2011 with the Captur concept. An exercise in style that was highly appreciated by management, the press and the public".
The Renault HJA may look like an SUV coupé version based on the Captur at first glance, but the wheels of the Kadjar betray that this prototype has the same base as the Renault Mégane IV through the Espace V.
Based on the features of the Captur concept, the search for emotion meant designing a car that shared several elements with the show car. Think of the 3D tail lights, the lines of all the lighting units, the fine detailing of the mirrors and the curves of the bodywork.
This prototype also shows the designers' love of big wheels, in this case borrowed from the Kadjar in terms of size and design. The 19-inch alloy wheels are fitted with 245/45R19 tyres. Wheels that fit into large openings in the wings, which are finished with a contrasting black rim that continues down to the bottom of the bumpers.
Laurens: "The front end may look a bit dated in 2024, more than eight years later, but the rear end and especially the roofline are still in line with current trends. With this prototype, we have stayed true to the original idea of the Captur concept and created a chic car. An urban SUV that has something sensual about it. And that is why we liked the car so much.”
So why wasn't the HJA developed into a production model? At the time we were working on this car, the first generation Renault Captur, launched in 2013, was a huge success. Renault did not want to cannibalise this model within its own range. At the same time, there was the consideration that dealers had already received so many new models in such a short time that we did not want to overload them. In general, dealers sell the models that are in demand and concentrate less on niche cars.
According to Laurens, this Renault HJA, which has not yet been given a name, is very tasty. In fact, it had an internal name: Atlas. You can read it on the back of the orange car. By the way, Atlas was no indication of a final type name.
The HJA (grey) next to the HJB, a proposal for the Captur II.
The grey car pictured in Aubevoye is still a clay model whose shape and details could easily be changed. Even the wheels are fake. This example stands next to a five-door SUV with a codename of HJB, a more traditionally shaped car on the same platform. Antony Grade, who was in charge of design programmes at the time, recalls the project. "The HJB, of which this fibreglass example was completed in September 2015, is one of the designs for the second-generation Captur. If the letter H stands for an SUV, the J corresponds to the platform. In this case, the B platform. And that makes the code HJA a bit confusing. If my memory serves me right, there was a platform change during the project. The big wheels were not possible on the B platform and it was decided to base the HJA on the C platform.”
A version of the front with an aluminium mask.
Laurens van den Ackter: “The orange car from January 2016 is a painted maquette made for an internal presentation. It has windows, but you can't see through them. We at Renault Design felt that the coupé SUV had potential, so we deliberately chose a striking shade of orange to present the model internally. This Orange Valencia colour later returned on the Clio V and Arkana.”
Laurens explains that this five-door was ahead of a trend. “The SUV coupé had not yet been invented. Jeremy Sommer designed this car. He also designed the Scenic IV.”
He concludes: "At the time, we at Renault Design were pushing for the design of this car to be carried over to the second generation Captur, with its special attention to detail, but unfortunately that didn't happen.” ‹›