Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts

Friday, April 15, 2011

Diesel-only Renault Laguna Coupe Monaco GP Launched in France


Revealed for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show along with the similarly trimmed Megane, the second iteration of the Renault Laguna Coupe Monaco GP special edition is now available for order in France. Renault took the decision to build a second run of the Monaco GP to satisfy customer demand after all 400 units of the previous version were quickly sold out.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix


It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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Monday, April 11, 2011

Patrick Pélata Resigns as Renault's COO in the Wake of EV Spy Scandal…but Remains at the Company


The botched espionage affair that rocked French carmaker Renault the past few months is once again in the headlines. Renault's Chief Operating Officer once again handed his resignation to the CEO Carlos Ghosn, but this time the group’s boss accepted it.

The move comes after the completion of two audits on Renault's wrongful handling of the affair, which resulted in three executives being fired without justification. “The audits evidenced the chain of failings and dysfunctions within the company, particularly as regards the supervision and control of the Group Security Department,” reads Renault's press release.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Dacia Releases Limited Edition Duster for Skiing Instructors


Renault’s low-cost Romanian brand Dacia has released the first limited edition version of its new small SUV model, called the Duster École de Ski Français [ESF], which translates to French Skiing School. Event though parent company Renault has not offered details about how many units of this series Dacia will produce, the Duster special could become one of the rarest sights on French streets since it can only be bought by ESF skiing instructors.

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Renault-Samsung Shows SM7 Pre-Production Concept


After last month's teaser sketch, Renault's Korean subsidiary Samsung unveiled the SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show. In essence, it’s a pre-production design study that previews the next generation of Renault Samsung's flagship model, the SM7.

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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sebastian Vettel Takes Dominant Australian Grand Prix Win


Sebastian Vettel won the inagural race of the 2011 F1 season after a dominating performance in Melbourne. The German driver made full use of his pole-position and lead the race from start to finish, taking his 11th Formula 1 win. Vettel adopted a two-stop pit strategy and finished with a 22.2-second advantage over second ranked Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), who had to race with a detached floor after running wide on lap 33.

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Friday, March 25, 2011

New Renault Latitude Sedan


Renault has lifted the covers off a new flagship sedan named Latitude that will in effect replace the discontinued (and rather controversial) Vel Satis.
Described by the French carmaker as "its latest international status-enhancing family saloon" [sic..], the Latitude will get its first public outing at the Moscow Motor Show at the end of August, while Europeans will get their first view of the car at this Fall's 2010 Paris Motor Show.
For those of you that keep a close eye on global automotive news, the new Latitude won't come as a surprise as it's based on the Renault Group's 2010 Samsung SM5 sedan that recently went on sale in South Korea. And by "based", we mean re-badged and VW- re-grilled... [see pictures of the SM5 below]
Built on a modified version of the Laguna's platform, Renault's new flagship model features a conventional four-door sedan body instead of a five-door fastback form like it's 25, Safrane (not the Samsung-based Safrane) and Vel-Satis predecessors
The Latitude measures 4.890mm in length, 1.830mm in width and 1.490mm in height, meaning it's 195mm longer, 19mm wider and 45mm taller than the Laguna hatch.
Renault has not yet released details on the engine range, but motorists should expect the usual mix of petrol and diesel engines.
The French automaker said that the Latitude will be offered with a variety of features that place the emphasis "on innovation and travelling comfort", including a dual-mode air ionizer with double fragrance diffuser, triple-zone climate control, a massaging driver's seat, Bose Premium audio, the Renault hands-free card and more.
According to the company, the Latitude is due to go on sale this autumn in Asia, Africa, Russia, Turkey, Gulf, Australia and Mexico, with Europe to follow shortly after.

Gallery

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Renault Samsung SM7 Concept Teased ahead of Seoul Motor Show


Renault's South
Korean brand Samsung released a teaser sketch of the SM7 concept car that previews the next-generation of the firm’s large sedan. The current SM7, which is built on Nissan’s J31 platform that underpins the Asian market Nissan Teana and the sixth-generation of the North American Nissan Maxima, has been on the market since 2004. Read more »

Monday, March 21, 2011

Renault Clio Gordini RS


The Renault Alpine plant in Dieppe produced the 1,000th Clio Gordini RS model this month, less than a year after its introduction. Built since May 2010, the Clio Gordini RS is sold in 18 countries, most of them in Europe.
Renault revived the Gordini name at the end of 2009, when it presented the Twingo Gordini RS. Other members of the Gordini family include the Twingo Gordini and more recently, the Wind Gordini, which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Although in the past Gordini was linked with motor sports and performance versions of Renault's road cars, currently the name is only used to designate styled-up and better equipped models, with no technical changes at all. Compared to the base Renault sport Clio, the Gordini version brings only exterior and interior styling tweaks.
Half of Renault's Twingo RS and Clio RS models sold in Europe are wearing the Gordini nameplate and its renowned white stripes. According to Renault, the Twingo RS is the second best sold car of the A sport segment, with a market share of 25 percent in Europe's biggest five markets in 2010, while the Clio RS owns 16 percent of the B sport segment.

Gallery

Renault Rolls Out 1000th Clio Gordini RS


The Renault Alpine plant in Dieppe produced the 1,000th Clio Gordini RS model this month, less than a year after its introduction. Built since May 2010, the Clio Gordini RS is sold in 18 countries, most of them in Europe.

Renault revived the Gordini name at the end of 2009, when it presented the Twingo Gordini RS. Other members of the Gordini family include the Twingo Gordini and more recently, the Wind Gordini, which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

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Friday, March 18, 2011

Dacia Produces its 4,000,000th Vehicle after 45 Years


Renault's Dacia brand produced its 4,000,000th car at the Mioveni plant in Romania, 45 years after the company’s foundation in 1966. The car with which Dacia achieved the milestone is a 4WD Duster Laureate in a brown finish powered by an 110HP 1.5-liter diesel engine.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Ghosn and Pelata Give Up Their 2010 Bonuses and 2011 Stock Profits to Restore Renault's Image after Spy Fiasco


This could be the final episode in the Renault EV espionage case: after a meeting held on Monday, CEO Carlos Ghosn presented the board with an action plan that includes the reinstatement and/or compensation of the three sacked executives and the intention to restore Renault's image and public confidence in the company and its management. Read more »

Monday, March 14, 2011

Renault Admits Wrongdoing in Spy Case, Issues Apologies to the Three Ousted Officials


Today's episode on the Renault EV espionage case is one of the most interesting yet, with CEO Carlos Ghosn and COO Patrick Pelata issuing their official apologies to the three executives accused of spying.

Renault’s admission of wrongdoing comes after a communication with the French prosecutors, who found no substance in the complaint filed by the automaker against its former employees. Authorities from Liechtenstein and Switzerland confirmed that Michel Balthazard, Bertrand Rochette and Matthieu Tenenbaum had no bank accounts in the respective countries, thus refuting Renault's claim.

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Friday, March 11, 2011

Fired Renault Executive Asks French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Intervene in Spy Case


Each day brings something new in
Renault’s EV-related espionage affair. This time Bertrand Rochette, one of the three employees fired by the company, has appealed directly to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene in the case. More specifically, Rochette's lawyers have called on Sarkozy and Justice Minister Michel Mercier to demand they be given access to the legal complaint Renault filed in January against unknown persons. Read more »

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Renault Spy Saga Continues, French Company Paid €250,000 for the Tip


The Renault espionage case is as close as it gets to an automotive “Watergate”. The scandal, which resulted in Renault firing and filing a complaint against three of its top executives for allegedly stealing documents related to the company's EV program, continues to make waves in France.

As it turns out, Renault has started to back down on the accusations, acknowledging the fact that it may have been misled to point the finger on the three executives. In a newspaper interview quoted by the Automotive News, Renault's chief operating officer Patrick Pelata said the company is considering two scenarios.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Renault to Launch All-Electric Twingo in 2014, Zoe Z.E. Coming in 2012


Renault will add a new Twingo to its Z.E. range of electric vehicles in the second half of 2014, according to Jacques Bousquet, head of Renault Italy. The French automaker’s official said the Twingo Z.E. will be the company's fifth EV, after the Kangoo, Fluence, Twizy and Zoe.

The executive revealed that Renault’s alliance with Daimler AG helped speed up the development of the next-generation Twingo-based Z.E. model, as the Twingo's new platform will be shared with a future four-seat Smart car.

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Andros Trophy 2011: This is How France's Winter Version of NASCAR Looks Like


Four-time Formula 1 champion Alain Prost and his Dacia Duster took first place at the Andros Trophy season finale held in Paris on the Stade de France this past weekend. Although the competition did not count for the championship, it attracted more than 50,000 spectators at France's largest stadium that was transformed into an ice-covered oval track. What they witnessed was a superb ice-skating contest for cars and bikes. Follow the break for the videos.

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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Renault Alpine Sports Coupe

An affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Renault bearing the historic Alpine moniker has been in the cards for years but the French carmaker has yet to launch a modern day successor to the last model to carry the Alpine name, the A610 from the mid 1990s.

After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm’s last bespoke sports car.
Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.
Here is what David told Carscoop about his design: “I made a modern interpretation of the Renault Alpine A110. Like the original Alpine, this concept has a rear engine and a stretched silhouette. The rear is inspired by the Dezir Concept while the front has influences of the Nepta Concept. Could be a direct competitor (or ally since Nissan is in the Renault group) for the Nissan 370Z.”
Check out the high-resolution pictures below and voice your thoughts about the design in the comments section below.
 

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Read more In Cars

Design Study for a Modern Day Renault Alpine Sports Coupe


An affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Renault bearing the historic Alpine moniker has been in the cards for years but the French carmaker has yet to launch a modern day successor to the last model to carry the Alpine name, the A610 from the mid 1990s.

After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm’s last bespoke sports car.

Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.

Read more »

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Internet Sales, the Next Big Thing for Renault's Dacia and PSA’s Rumored Simca Budget Brands


A low-cost company has to find low-cost ways not only to produce, but also to market and sell its products. This is why Renault devised a strategy to sell Dacia models online, through an Internet sales program that will be implemented in Europe.

“Internet sales will quickly become a reality. Many of our customers know what they want before they step into our showrooms, so an online sales channel makes sense,” said Gerard Detourbet, head of Renault's low-cost program.

But that isn't the only reason. Renault will be soon facing the threat of a low-cost rival coming from the French group PSA Peugeot-Citroen. Rumored to receive the abandoned Simca name, the new make could sell its vehicles exclusively through the Internet, as sales chief Jean-Marc Gales hinted at the Geneva Motor Show.

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