The carmaker has said that it is now looking to find a niche somewhere between premium and mainstream brands, using its Dacia brand to fill in at the lower end of the market.

Global sales and marketing director Stephen Norman admitted that the carmaker was going back in a direction it said it wouldn’t do but added: 'Everybody who is going to survive is going to go in this direction. Nissan is already positioned in the same way I see Renault moving. Kia and Hyundai have the same strategy.'

Renault also intends to add more diversity to its range through the addition of niche models, starting with a small Clio-based crossover early next year. A “cargo” version of the Twizy electric quadricycle with extra storage space is also likely to appear in 2013.

Norman admits Renault was not quick enough to react to the success of MINI or the growth of the compact SUV market. 

‘Ford Cortina man has gone,' he said. ‘We have changed our philosophy within the company to be able to respond to trends more quickly.'

However, Norman said that Renault remains committed to traditional sectors, including MPVs and the D and E-sectors.