Category: Renault

Due to be unveiled at the next Geneva Motor Show, the Renault Laguna coupé has been caught during winter testing.

Underneath, the coupé will share its platform, powertrains and suspension , with the saloon but will feature a unique exterior styling very close to the concept car seen at the last Frankfurt Motor Show. However, it is still unknown wether the coupé will come with a unique interior styling in a goal to move the car upmarket.

The coupé will be powered by finally decent and powerful engines. Expect the Laguna coupé to be equipped with only V6 petrol and diesel engines. It is rumoured that it might feature the small 1-6 litre engine. We hope Renault executive will be clever enough to avoid this petrol engine.

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Samsung has unveiled its latest model, a brand new SUV called QM5, which will go on sale in South Korea in early December. Expect to see it under the Renault Koleos badge in Europe next spring.

Despite sporting a Samsung badge, the new QM5 has been designed by Renault and the SUV can’t hide its Gallic roots. It is the first time that the Samsung marque gets a Renault car as its current range is based on Nissan models. Compared to the future Koleos, the mid-SUV has a lightly revised fascia with a custom chrome grille.

Engineered by Nissan, the QM5 shares its underneath with the Qashqai, which is a conventional layout with independent Mac Pherson strut and coil springs at the front, and a torsion beam axle and coil springs at the back. It is equipped with a part-time four-wheel drive system. In normal conditions the QM5 is a two-wheel drive, but 100% of torque can be sent to the rear wheels if the system detects any slip.

The QM5 will be powered by a 2.0 litre turbodiesel engine listed at 171bhp at launch. A 2.5 litre petrol engine will be added next year. it will likely be the four-cylinders unit found in the X-Trail, which has an output of 167bhp.

The SUV will be built at Samsung’s Busan factory in South Korea. Samsung expects to build 100,000 cars here every year.

Samsung had revealed the QMX SUV at the 2007 Seoul Motor Show, but we still were waiting for more detailed pictures. Thanks to a leaked brochure, here are the first pictures of the interior. Do not expect to discover a traditional Korean design. In order to cut cost, the Samsung SUV share almost all its components with the future Renault Koleos. Here, even the dashboard looks like a Renault’s. It will be on sale next year.

The conservative new Mk3 Laguna looks rather dull. Fortunately, Renault seems to be aware of the problem and unveiled the Laguna Coupe concept car at the last Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The proportions are brilliant: menacing and yet pretty at the same time. Unfortunately, French carmakers suffer from weak engines which can not compete with the German competitors. This situation might change with this sleek coupe according to the recently released technical specifications.

Thanks to its links with Nissan, it is well known that the Laguna coupe will be given the Nissan 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine which will produce more than 240 bhp. It might still not be enough to compete with the Audi A5, the BMW 3-Series Coupe or the Mercedes CLK, but the oil burners are king in the European market. This is where Renault plans to attack. The Laguna Coupe will feature a new diesel V6 engine which will be available in two versions: 230 bhp and 265 bhp. In comparison, the Audi A5 offers two engines: a 180 bhp 2.7 litre and a 233 bhp 3.0 litre. The BMW 3-Series features a unique 3.0 litre inline 6 with three powers: 197 bhp, 231 bhp and 286 bhp. Finally, the Mercedes CLK has a 150 bhp 2.2 litre four cylinder engine and a 224 bhp 3.0 litre V6 unit. With both engines, the Renault Laguna Coupe might get its chance this time.

The Renault Laguna Coupe will also feature the new Active-Drive four wheel steering system which promises very agile handling according to initial feedback. Renault’s system uses a computer to monitor steering inputs, vehicle speed and traction every 10 milliseconds and adjusts the angle of the rear wheels accordingly.

If Renault agrees to feature a bigger petrol engine like the 333 bhp Nissan engine for the benefit of its brand image, it might be rewarded with a bestseller with this coupe.

Source: Auto Motor und Sport

Here are the pictures of a flying Megane. Do not expect a new sporty version. This is the future Mk3 Megane being tested on the Nürburgring. Why on the Nürburgring? What a better way to compete with German competitors than using the same testing references? Like the Renault 19 twenty years ago, the Mk3 Megane will try to match the German leitmotiv: sportiness and quality.

The future Megane will feature a bold design but the unique shapely rear will not make it through. Despite good sales in France and on the British market, the car did not sell well on the rest of the continent. However, the future Megane will not be as conservative as the Mk3 Laguna. According to insiders, a prototype showed to a sample group of potential customers generated an encouraging buzz. Most of them found the car appealing, modern and sporty. The Mk3 Megane will be based on the C platform currently used by the Nissan Qashqai. Expect a good ride and, of course, a comfortable car.

Among his goals, the ubiquitous Carlos Ghosn wants Renault to be in the top three for product and service quality in every class it competes in. The new Laguna led the way with a very good build quality. The Mk3 Megane will probably offer a high quality interior, enough to compete with the new Peugeot 398 and the future Mk6 Golf.

The Mk3 Megane will be available with a large choice of models: three door and five door hatchbacks, Scenic and lengthened Scenic, folding metal roof CC, estate and for the first time a SUV based on the Koleos concept car unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

Source: Carscoop

Renault has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco to build a new plant on the outskirts of Tanger. Due to be ready for 2010, the new factory will enable Renault to build 200,000 cars per year at the beginning. Later, it will be able to build 400,000 cars every year.

The new factory will be used to build variants of the Dacia Logan, with particular focus on a new-generation of light commercial vehicles. Ninety percent of these vehicles would be exported.

Renault plans to invest an estimated £405m/€600m/$817m in this project with a first phase of £236m/€350m/$477m. A further investment of £135m/€200m/$272m to £270m/€400m/$544m will then be made according to the number of vehicles produced.

The new factory will provide 6,000 direct jobs and 30,000 jobs indirectly through suppliers.

According to the Prime Minister of Morocco, Driss Jetou, the plant will be built on a dedicated free zone linked to Tanger’s harbour with a special railway.

Discovering the full design of the new Renault Laguna was tough. In complete contrast, the future Megane III has been unveiled – unnofficially and apparently unintentionally – in the latest issue of the French weekly car magazine Auto Plus. Rather than the usual artist’s interpretation, put together using insider information and guesswork, the magazine has surprised observers by publishing a real photograph of the car.

The iconic French car will replace its distinctive back end with high bumpers and muscular lines. The wheel arches are emphasised and the back doors are narrower, giving the car a sportier look.

According the magazine, the car will be 3 inches longer than the current model, at 169 inches. Concerning the engine, do not expect significant changes or increased engine size, despite the appealing look.

According to the weekly French car magazine Auto Plus, Renault will display a Twingo II convertible at the next Geneva Motorshow in March 2008. The car will be sold a few months later at the competitive price of around £10,000/€15,000/$20,000.

Based on the idea of the Wind Concept car introduced at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, the Twingo II CC will be a two-seater convertible and will compete with the tiny Daihatsu Copen and the Opel Tigra TwinTop. Unlike the latter, which a retractable hardtop, the Twingo will have a folding roof like Fioravanti’s concept cars and the Ferrari 575 Superamerica.

The car will not be built on the Twingo’s assembly lines in Slovenia, but in Renault Sport factory based in Dieppe, Northern France, where Renault usually assembles small volume cars.
According to Auto Plus, Renault could put? the small 1.2 litre engine that produces 99 bhp/100 hp under the hood but in a boosted form that will produce 118 bhp/120 hp.

Source: Auto Plus

According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Renault is seriously considering building a 3,000 USD car that would be sold in India. The French carmaker is so serious about this business that it plans to open a new Technocentre (Renault’s jargon for R&D department) in India. The newspaper also reveals that the car wouldn’t be sold in Europe because it wouldn’t meet the European safety requirements.

The very low cost car idea has been lauched by the Indian giant Tata in October 2005. Since then, engineers worked night and days in order present the Indian “Volkswagen” at the New Dehli motor show in January 2008. The car will have four doors, will be equipped with a 0.6 litre engine and will be sold at the incredible price tag of 1,250 GBP.

Instead of developing a new car, Renault could recycle the Renault 4 launched in 1961 and sold until 1992. Like the future Tata, it had 4 doors and its engine had a similar capacity of 0.7 litre. It was also very robust and very appreciated in French countryside.

Expected to be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show next September, the new Laguna might be revealed sooner according to a Renault website dedicated to its new breed.

Renault will soon launch a special website at www.insidenewlaguna.com. The top page of the website is currently blank but a preview is available at www.insidenewlaguna.com/site. A countdown is set at 38 days but the veracity of this countdown has not been confirmed. A gallery also provides some pictures of the interior (shown below).