Autoblog

Following the approach taken by rival Renault, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen is working on an entry-level car set to debut in emerging markets in 2011. The Renault Logan has done well in Russia and Romania, which has prodded this interest and action from PSA. The new five-passenger vehicle will be assembled in Turkey or Poland and sold in eastern and central Europe, Russia, Turkey, and North Africa wearing both Citroen and Peugeot badging. If successful, sales would also expand to include China and South America. Even if the vehicle sells well, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen CEO Christian Streiff maintains there are no plans to sell the new car in western Europe – regardless of Renault's strategy.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

We see rear-engine, 6-cylinder sports cars from Europe every day. They always have a Porsche badge on them and usually "911" in their name. Whether in Carrera, S, Targa, 4, 4S, GT3, Turbo, GT3 RS or GT2 trim, they are great cars but so common that they barely stand out anymore. The occasional 356 is always a pleasant surprise, but especially in Southern California, those too are almost every-day sights. So when we saw this particular rear-engined European sports car, we were quite thrilled. It's a 1980 Alpine A310! And not just any A310, this one had a full on Fleishmann Group IV body kit plus a massive rear spoiler that must make this puppy stick like glue as it approaches its 130+ mph top speed. While several thousand A310s were built between 1971 and 1984, none were officially imported into the States. Seeing one "in the wild" is such a treat, even if it happens to be at a dealership that specializes in rear-engine European sports cars.

Alpine was affiliated with Renault a bit like AMG is with Mercedes. They started out as tuners and racers but were eventually bought and incorporated into the Renault operations. They had a pretty good racing record with the older Alpine A110, particularly in rallying, where they won the Monte Carlo Rally and World Rally Championship in 1973. The A310 was their follow-up. It started life powered by a tuned Gordini four-cylinder engine with up to 125 hp, but eventually featured the PRV 2.7L V6 later used in the De Lorean. Even with just 150 hp, these little fiberglass flyers could keep up with a contemporary Porsche. Think of it as a Lotus Exige built by the French, with a back seat, and the engine hanging in back of the rear axle. Okay, maybe the Exige analogy is a bit of a stretch, but with its tubular steel backbone chassis and fiberglass body, it was light, quick and a good handler, which makes it a fun sports car and a delight to see in person.


All photos copyright © 2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Click either image for high-res gallery of the Renault Megane Trophy concept

We've said it before but it warrants repeating: Renault makes some of the meanest hot hatches in the business. The (very) outgoing Megane RS has been a favorite among the track day crowd and really any European customer looking for a fast ride with sharp handling that can still serve on the daily grind. With the new Megane now out in the open, the big question on the minds of Renaultsport fans is what manner of fire-breathing demon will follow the established favorite they know and love? Clearly this isn't the answer, but if the production Megane III RS comes even remotely close to this concept car, we'll have yet another European machine to lust after.

The Renault Megane Trophy concept features a Nissan-sourced 3.5-liter V6 mounted amidship like in the old Renaultsport Clio V6, but producing a prodigious 360hp driving through a six-speed sequential gearbox, all wrapped in a competition-grade body with more wing than the Concorde and more louvers than a Parisian museum tour. Currently the car is just a concept, but could end up going into limited production for a spec racing series. Check it out in the gallery below and rest assured that it looks even more awesome in person.

Renault is stepping things up a notch. The French automaker has launched an aggressive campaign to refresh and broaden its lineup, including recent launches of the new Laguna, Twingo and Koleos, to name just a few. But this one will likely prove more important than all the others.

The Megane is Renault's bread and butter, competing in a dog-eat-dog segment against the likes of Volkswagen's new Golf and the popular European-spec Ford Focus. Diversity is part of Renault's plan of attack, planning to offer six different Megane bodystyles, each with its own distinct character. To start off, Renault launched the five-door hatchback and the sleek new coupe on its home turf here in Paris. Both represent striking departures from the models they replace, and the three-door cuts a particularly aggressive silhouette. Check out the images in the gallery below to see what we mean.

Hopes for Renault's possible return to the American market were stymied when it became apparent that General Motors wasn't interested in a far-reaching partnership with the brand and its Nissan ally a few years ago. It seems that the French automaker is still very interested in re-entering the U.S. and would consider other possible partnerships. One particular option that popped up at the Paris Motor Show is a purchase of the Chrysler brand if Cerberus were interested in parting ways with it. Interestingly, Chrysler was the automaker that Renault pawned its last U.S. efforts off on.

It wouldn't be an easy time to enter the U.S. market, as every automaker is currently posting lower-than-hoped-for sales figures, including Chrysler, which reported numbers down by nearly a third. Still, Chrysler has plenty of dealerships in the U.S. and Renault would love to have access to some of them. Plus, Chrysler is rumored to be in search of a new mid-sized sedan platform to build off, something that Renault would be more than capable of providing. Another more costly option would be for Renault to go it alone, producing three brand-new vehicles just for the U.S. We'll keep an eye on these rumors and report back if anything more substantial breaks.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

You might think the Renault Kangoo Be Bop is a concept vehicle what with its quirky looks and trick sliding roof. You can credit the quirky styling to it being a Renault, an automaker not known for producing bland production designs. As for the rear roof panel that slides forward to create a van-vertible, that's a direct carryover from the concept on which the Kangoo Be Bop is faithfully based: the Kangoo Compact Concept that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The production Be Bop maintains the two-door van layout of the concept, and the ceiling is now comprised of two tilting glazed glass panels up front, one fixed glass panel in the middle, and an opaque roof panel in the rear that lifts up and forward to create an open air experience for back seat passengers. Letting even more light in are expansive side windows, so despite being tiny in dimension, the Be Bop shouldn't feel confining to its passengers. The rear seats can also be removed to increase cargo capacity, and Renault says that passengers can even enter the vehicle through the open rear gate and slide between the rear seats. Power will come from three engines: an 85-hp 1.5L dCi and 105-hp dCi, both of which are paired with a six-speed manual, and a gas-powered 105-hp 1.6L four-cylinder. It's quirky, oddly functional and definitely French, and Europeans will be able to buy a Kangoo Be Bop of their very own this Spring.


[Source: Renault]

This image has been circulating the French motoring sites, showing what could be the new Renaultsport version of the automaker's new Megane which is set to debut next week at the Paris Motor Show. Although indications are that this is a Photoshop-manipulated image, it could give a fairly accurate preview of what the new hot hatch could look like.

Renault has gone to great lengths to differentiate the different body-styles in the Megane range, and the RS version would of course be based on the three-door hatch variant. The image shows a single exhaust exiting from the center of the rear diffuser, with jumbo 18-inch anthracite multi-spoke wheels and some extra aerodynamic body elements. We'll all want to know what will reside under the hood, likely to be a derivation of the current model's 2.0-liter four. The most recent evolution of the engine produces some 230 horsepower in the latest Megane R26.R track-hatch, but only time (and assuredly plenty of speculation) will tell how much power the first performance version of the Megane III will be putting down on European roads.

[Source: L'Auto Journal via Le Blog Auto]

Click above for gallery of the 2010 Renault Megan Coupe

Recent snooping at the EU patent office yielded an application revealing the 2010 Renault Megane 3-door Coupe. The images (most likely shot of a clay model) show a much tamer production version when compared to the Renault Megan Coupe concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Sleeker than the 5-door Megane shots leaked a couple weeks ago, the coupe's C-pillar differs most noticeably as the window glass sweeps to a clean point as it meets the rear hatch. The best guess is that the coupe will see a range of engines from 1.4-liters up to 2.0-liters rated between 100 and 160 hp, depending on the model. Look for it on sale next year, but sadly not on our shores.

[Source: EU Patent Office via Carscoop]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Renault Ondelios Concept

Most concepts these days are designed with one eye on production, but every once in a while we get a humdinger like the Renault Ondelios Concept that's scheduled to debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. The Ondelios is Renault's far out vision for a high-end crossover of the future. The exterior has a slippery shape with a drag coefficient of 0.29 and a look that's certainly... umm... futuristic. The transition from the dark-colored carbon fiber body to the glazed greenhouse is supposed to blend and make the whole car appear as one piece of material. The two gull-wing doors swing up and the side sills lower to become steps, thus easing ingress into the six-seat CUV of tomorrow.

Occupants will find slim line seats inside that recline like a business class seat with footrests, as well as personal entertainment devices on the back of each cantilevered headrest. The dash is completely smooth with controls that light up from beneath the surface, while views from various outboard cameras are projected at the base of the steeply raked windshield. Renault's vision of the future must include a continued concern over fuel economy, as the Ondelios is a diesel hybrid with a 2.0L dCi engine supported by two electric motors placed at each end. Renault claims the hybrid concept, which comes packing a 7-speed double-clutch transmission, could hit 62 mph in 7.8 seconds. Of course, the Ondelios Concept appears to be nothing more than designers and engineers at Renault stretching their legs a bit while the developing the next Megane, Clio and Twingo.


[Source: Renault]

As its expansive name might suggest, the Megane is a hugely important car for Renault, competing in the same highly competitive segment as the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. But while the rest of Renault's range – including the Clio, Twingo and Laguna – has seen recent replacement, the second-generation Megane has carried on essentially unchanged for six years. The Megane won't have to wait any longer as Renault has properly released photos and details of its new mid-range vehicle, anticipated for unveiling at next month's Paris Motor Show.

The new Megane's styling takes cues from the concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, but seems to share more in common with the larger Laguna sedan. The Megane also promises to deliver significant improvements in terms of quality and equipment levels over the model it replaces. A new analogue/digital instrument cluster is incorporated, along with an intuitive color-coded cruise control module, hands-free entry and ignition and Bluetooth DVD sat-nav system. Powertrain options range from 100-hp to 180-hp gasoline engines and diesel choices ranging from 85 to 150 hp, all of which are mated to a range of five- and six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

Renault says no fewer than six different versions of the Megane will hit the market by 2010, each developed as its own model to give each its own individual identity. We'll venture a guess at a three-door hatch, five-door hatch, four-door sedan and wagon. A hard-top convertible would also be a safe bet. But what enthusiasts want is the Renaultsport version, as the French automaker has long commanded attention in the hot hatch realm.

We'll be on hand to check out the first version in Paris, but in the meantime you can check out the gallery of high-resolution images in the gallery below and the press release and video after the jump.

[Source: Renault]