The latest addition to the Renault Sport performance family is the Megane R26.R, which was displayed today for the first time at the London Motor Show. The new car is based on the existing Megane F1 Team R26 and uses the same engine, gearbox and limited slip differential, but has been lightened by 123kg and features a specific suspension calibration.

Read

Amongst the sun and stars of the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, Renault has unveiled the new Laguna Coupe with a pair of V6 engines. Each of the 6 cylinder powerplants uses a different fuel. One runs on gasoline, the other diesel. While Renault-badged cars haven't been available in North America for more then two decades, the Laguna's new diesel is of interest here because it is being co-developed with Japanese partner Nissan. The 3.0L common rail diesel will find a home in U.S.-market Nissan Maximas in 2010.

Read

Dominique Laure, who is the owner of several freight companies in Loire-Atlantique and Gironde in France, has decided on a new benefit for his staff. Instead of salary raises, he will provide low CO₂-producing car at €1 per worked day to his workers. So, 100 out of his 130 employees will pay €250 per year to drive a new, cleaner car. There is a little catch, though.

Read

It could be the quickest vehicles to go from concept to a public, drivable prototype in automotive history. As previewed, "Israelis got a first demonstration Sunday of the electric car that developers hope will revolutionize transportation in the country and serve as a pilot for the rest of the world," began the report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Read

The forthcoming 2009 Renault Megane has been snatched without a trace of camouflage by the folks over at the French car magazine “Auto Plus”. And when we’re saying with no camouflage we mean it “in and out” as from the looks of it, someone either left the factory door wide open or Renault decided to give the French magazine an exclusive scoop-de-tour of the Megane.

Read

A local pharmacist Australia called Mark Hope from the village of Yungaburra, in Queensland, managed to scoop these pictures when a pair of disguised Renault prototype models stopped by for a coffee break. Turns out that the camouflaged prototypes were indeed the upcoming 2009 Renault Megane 5door hatchback and the 2009 Renault Laguna Coupe, both of which are expected at this year’s Paris Motor Show in September.

Read

Portable systems are the uncontested leaders of the extremely buoyant GPSnavigation market and one of the reasons for their success is their price, despite certain shortcomings regarding their integration and practicality compared with original equipment systems. With this in mind, Renault has introduced a competitive new offer with a new Laguna Carminat which combines the performance of an integrated navigation system with a particularly attractive price tag.

Read

There's nothing new about four-wheel steering. Honda used it on its Prelude in the 80s and various other manufacturers have experimented with similar technology, including Mitsubishi, which used it on its Galant.

Soon after that four-wheel steering kind of died a death - it went out of fashion, but Renault has revived it, and is using it in the new Laguna GT.

So why now? Previous systems were, let's face it, rubbish, but aligned to Renault's Active Drive Chassis and 21st Century computer wizardry, this system is, as they say, good to go. So good, in fact, that Renault claims the first GT customer was... BMW. Doubtless the Munich-based manufacturer will be pulling the system apart to get some ideas. Renault has patented the best bits, so BMW will have to be clever with any kind of similar technology.

The GT is without doubt a more agile machine compared with the standard two-wheel steering models. Renault says the proof of the pudding is in the eating: on the double-lane-change test, or 'elk' test, as it is commonly known, the GT was able to approach it 10mph faster than rivals in the class because of the extra agility the four-wheel steering is able to provide.

Read

This car was not intended for the UK market. Originally Renault was only going to import the better equipped and more powerful Twingo Dynamique, GT and the RenaultSport Twingo.

But now there’s been a change of heart, officially because of the UK’s growing demand for cheaper, greener, cars. And the base Twingo, complete with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, has come to these shores. With 59bhp and 69lb ft of torque it’s no firecracker, and although it’s cheaper than the rest of the range, it still looks pricey compared to city car rivals.

The Twingo Extreme has many strong points; it rides very well, has class-leading boot space, four Euro NCAP stars and fits a full spare tyre into a car weighing just 950kg and measuring 3800mm in length. The chassis, which proves such a joy in the GT, also shines in this base car, though even on the 6000rpm redline you won’t be going anywhere very fast.

Read

Dacia has begun testing their newest creation in northern Scandinavia, and we have the spy pics to prove it. In the gallery you will find photos of an SUV crossover based on the Dacia Logan. Taking inspiration from the Dacia Logan Steppe concept introduced at Geneva in 2006, the mule was shaped and massaged until it became the artist's rendering you see above. Romania's favorite car producer had previously announced their desire to build a four-wheel-drive version of the Dacia Logan, with a debut set for 2010.

Although this is likely to be a successful for the Renault-owned company, we agree with our spy's assessment that Dacia will need quite a bit more to hit their 2010 target of one million production cars per year. Other models expected to be released include a new sedan based on the second-generation Logan, a five-door hatch, and the MCV Estate. Rumor has it that Dacia is working on a pick-up truck as well.

Entirely possible when you consider how much bigger the chassis in these spy pics appears in relation to the mule riding on it. A Dacia SUV platform could certainly be shared with a pick-up truck model. To build all these vehicles, Dacia is exploring options for new factories in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Russia, complementing their current factories in Brazil and Romania. Outsourcing the work to outside factories is also possible.

Read

Renault will increase its SUV crossover range to three models by the end of the decade to supplement the Korean-built Koleos, which reaches showrooms in July this year.

“We are developing a range of SUV crossovers and the Koleos sits right bang in the middle,” said the company’s vice president of design, Patrick Le Quement. “There will be an addition to the Megane range, when the new cars arrive over the next 18-months. A bigger brother for the Koleos is something we are looking at.”

The Koleos, using Nissan X-Trail running gear in four and two-wheel-drive form, is built by Renault-Samsung in South Korea.

Its larger counterpart, harnessing the new Nissan Murano platform, is expected to be built there too.

Read

Renault has announced that it is to sell electric vehicles in Europe in 2011. The cars will initially go on sale in Denmark, where the infrastructure is better-developed to support electric vehicles and where the government will provide tax incentives for their purchase.

Renault-Nissan is working with the Israel-based initiative Project Better Place, which is to construct and operate a recharging grid across Denmark. The batteries for the cars have been developed by Nissan, which is to put its own-brand electric vehicle into production by 2010.

Renault has been considering production of an electric version of the Megane in Israel, as well as electric Kangoo MPVs and vans. The Israeli government is debating whether to make electric cars tax-free and is to give tax breaks to manufacturers.

Project Better Place, headed by tech entrepreneur Shai Agassi, intends to help nations establish an infrastructure for supplying, recharging, maintaining and supporting electric vehicles and their use, including 'battery swap' stations for instant recharging. Agassi plans to sell and lease EVs on contracts similar to those used in the mobile phone industry, with the fixed-term all-in service contracts based on the recharges and the car itself discounted or even free. Project Better Place says it is in discussions with 30 countries in Europe, the US and Asia for further programmes.

Read

Superminis have come a long way in the last few years. Many now ride and drive as well as cars in the class above and have standard kit that's not out of place in an expensive luxury saloon. So it comes as something of a shock that cruise control, satellite navigation, climate control and leather-lined opulence isn't included as standard in the newest Clio to spearhead Renault's supermini range.

In fact, in this £15,000 supermini, even electric door mirrors are too much of an ask and, if you get a bit hot under the collar, lowering a window is the best way to cool off. So as this is no plush family runabout, why the premium price? Simple: this is a car with serious sporting intentions.

Renaultsport - the French brand's equivalent of Vauxhall's VXR or Ford's RS - has been very busy with the new Clio Cup. Basing it on the standard 197, the Renaultsport department has stripped the Clio of everything it feels is unnecessary for a truly sporting machine. Controversially, such determination to shed the pounds and improve performance and handling has seen even the curtain bags getting the chop.

Read

Renault chose the Geneva Motor Show today to take the wraps off of its Mégane Coupé Concept showcar, which previews a compact coupé to be released at a later date. Like its larger sister, Laguna Coupé Concept, which wowed the crowds in Frankfurt last September, it points to an evolution of more fluid, sportier styling from Renault.

The sleek and aggressive-looking Mégane Coupé Concept targets drivers who are not only drawn by the notion of driving pleasure but who also seek to express their personality through their car. Mégane Coupé Concept symbolises Renault's vision of what a genuine compact sports coupé should deliver, namely character and dynamism, two traits epitomised by the opening and closing movement of its spectacular doors.

Read

Unveiled in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, on 31 January by the drivers of the ING Renault F1 Team, Twingo Renaultsport 133 is a high-performance, affordable entry point into the Renaultsport range.

Its compact proportions and sharp styling echo the Twingo Concept show car which was a star of the 2006 Paris Motor Show. Twingo’s distinctive looks have been made more incisive on the new flagship Renaultsport version thanks to wider front and rear wings, sculpted side skirts and an aerodynamic spoiler which all point to the car’s sporting character. Inside, the cabin has been tailored for focused sports driving, with a number of exclusive details: Renaultsport seats featuring enhanced lateral support, aluminium pedals, a leather steering wheel and a specific rev counter.

Read