Renault Samsung Debut New SM7 Saloon in South Korea

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The Renault-Nissan alliance’s South Korean subsidiary Samsung has presented the production version of its SM7 sedan model, which was displayed as a thinly disguised concept car at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show this past April.

Putting aside some minor details such as the lower parts of the front and rear bumpers, and the less extravagant choice of alloy wheels, nothing else has changed from the concept model.

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Post Title → Renault Samsung Debut New SM7 Saloon in South Korea

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Renault Unleashes Super Hot Mégane RS Trophy with 265-Horses

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With the Italians still trying to find their way and the Japanese being limited for now to the Mazda3 MPS, it’s up to the French to question the German leadership in the upper range of the hot hatchback segment. Now, Renault is raising the stakes with the presentation of a hotter version of its RenaultSport Mégane boasting more power under its hood.

The Mégane RS Trophy is a special edition version of the standard model with a limited production run of 500 cars. Renault is quick to note that the Trophy is not a successor to the hardcore R26R, which leaves the door open to a more extreme variant in the near future.

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Post Title → Renault Unleashes Super Hot Mégane RS Trophy with 265-Horses

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Journalist Spies Next Renault Twingo RS at French Firm’s Test Center

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During a presentation at Renault’s facilities in France, a foreign journalist attending the event managed to slip away from the crowd and snap a single photo of a small car testing on the company’s proving grounds before falling into the unloving arms of the security team.

The journalist-turned-into-spy photographer said the bagged prototype looked similar in size to the current Twingo city car. He added that the small hatchback model featured several sporty elements such as the bumper designs, wide tires and tall alloy wheels, which lead him to believe that it’s a prototype for the new Twingo RenaultSport (RS) or the Gordini RS, with the differences between the versions being purely aesthetic.

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Post Title → Journalist Spies Next Renault Twingo RS at French Firm’s Test Center

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Nissan GT-R-Powered Dacia Duster Racer Filmed Testing at Magny-Cours

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The Renault Group is upping the ante for Dacia with its decision to enter the Romanian brand’s Duster crossover in the famous Pikes Peak international hill climb that will take place this year on June 26 in Colorado, USA. The purpose built racecar was spotted over the weekend testing at the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit located in France. Read more »

Post Title → Nissan GT-R-Powered Dacia Duster Racer Filmed Testing at Magny-Cours

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Renault Teases More Potent version of Megane RS

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One of Europe’s finest hot hatches is about to get better as Renault is readying a new edition of the Megane RS that will be unveiled to the world on June 17, 2011. The French carmaker released a teaser video of the car from the test runs at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany.

However, that’s about all Renault is willing to reveal for now so we’ll have to wait and see what kind of upgrades the car will feature and if a power boost and / or a weight reduction and chassis enhancements are part of the package.

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Post Title → Renault Teases More Potent version of Megane RS

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Renault Wind Roadster and Lexus CT 200h Hybrid

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Selling a car through advertising isn’t as easy as you might think. What good is it showing your product nimbly taking on Alpine twists and turns when your competitors are doing the same thing? Here are two ads that don’t really break the mould, but try something a little different.
First up is this one for the open-top Renault Wind. I’m a big fan of this car; I think it’s a funky and decidedly French take on the compact convertible. Still, there’s something disturbingly I Am Legend about this particular ad from the firm Publicis Conseil. The eerily vacant streets, the shuttered windows and the presence of a dog sitting on a street corner all at up to the expectation that Will Smith should be running through the scene pursued by monsters.
Next is the spot for the Lexus CT 200h hybrid hatch by firm Saatchi & Saatchi. A little boy sits in the back seat while his mother asks him the sounds various modes of transport make. It’s very cute, especially if you have children. You can check out both these ads right here and then leave a comment in the section below if you wish.
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Post Title → Renault Wind Roadster and Lexus CT 200h Hybrid

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Ad Watch: Renault Wind Roadster and Lexus CT 200h Hybrid

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Selling a car through advertising isn’t as easy as you might think. What good is it showing your product nimbly taking on Alpine twists and turns when your competitors are doing the same thing? Here are two ads that don’t really break the mould, but try something a little different. Read more »

Post Title → Ad Watch: Renault Wind Roadster and Lexus CT 200h Hybrid

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Eibach and Giacuzzo Design Take on the Dacia Duster

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Following in the footsteps of Elia, German aftermarket specialists at Eibach and Giacuzzo Design teamed up to create a tuning package for the Dacia Duster SUV. The two companies opted for light modifications in order to stick to the basic character of the Duster and to make sure the price of the tuning package would remain affordable for the car's target group. Read more »

Post Title → Eibach and Giacuzzo Design Take on the Dacia Duster

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Renault 4 Celebrates its Golden Anniversary with Design Competition

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Renault’s eminent 4 is turning 50 this year, and in recognition the French automaker and website Designboom are holding a special competition to see who can design the best Nouveau Quatrelle. Anyone can enter, though registration is mandatory, and the top prize is a 1965 Renault 4L driven by ex-F1 driver Michel Leclère in the 2011 Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo. Works can be submitted through June 20, 2011, with the winner to be announced in July 2011.

More than eight million Renault 4’s were sold over a thirty-one year period, starting in 1961 and ending in 1992. Renault’s approach was to offer a functional, minimalist “everyman’s car” with low running costs and a sturdy five-door body. Think of it as a Gallic precursor to Toyota’s indestructibility mantra of the 1980s and ‘90s.

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Post Title → Renault 4 Celebrates its Golden Anniversary with Design Competition

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Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio

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The Renault brand’s sales are down 35 percent since May 1 in France and this has forced local dealers to offer hefty discounts to customers on certain models, a French radio station reported. According to the BFM radio station quoted byReuters, dealers are offering discounts as high as 45 percent on some versions of the Clio supermini. For instance, certain dealers are selling the Clio for €7,990 ($11,400), even though the factory sticker is €14,100 ($20,120).
Renault admitted that the French car market remained on a downward trend, but refused to comment the report according to which its sales were down 35 percent. "We cannot communicate on May data before early June...The market for May in France seems down," a Renault spokesman said. He added that decreasing sales were partly due to the end of a car scrappage scheme.
France's successful car incentive program was terminated in December 2010, but drivers who bought cars as part of the program could register them until the end of March.
Renault was one of the hardest hit carmakers in Europe in April recording a 13 percent drop in sales compared to last year with 105,799 units. In the same month, car sales in France declined by 11 percent, according to ACEA, the European automakers association.
Europe's car market shrank for the third consecutive year, falling to 13.8 million vehicles in 2010 from 16 million in 2007, the last year in which it recorded a sales growth.
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Post Title → Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio

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Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio to Offset Plummeting Sales

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The Renault brand’s sales are down 35 percent since May 1 in France and this has forced local dealers to offer hefty discounts to customers on certain models, a French radio station reported. According to the BFM radio station quoted by Reuters, dealers are offering discounts as high as 45 percent on some versions of the Clio supermini. For instance, certain dealers are selling the Clio for €7,990 ($11,400), even though the factory sticker is €14,100 ($20,120). Read more »

Post Title → Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio to Offset Plummeting Sales

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Renault’s Dacia Duster “No Limit” Racer gets 850HP V6 Sourced from the Nissan GT-R!

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Following an early reveal on racing driver Jean-Philippe Dayraut's website, Renault today released official photos of its PikesPeak contender, the 850HP Dacia Duster “No Limit”. The name comes from the “Unlimited” class of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which imposes no restrictions on the size or power output of the engine, maximum power or torque. In addition, there are no restrictions concerning the transmission or the aerodynamic characteristics. Looking at the size of the Duster's rear wing, it is obvious the car competes in the “Unlimited” class.

The one-off prototype was built by Tork Engineering (which handled the design, production, assembly and development) and Sodemo (engine), in association with Renault Sport Technologies, which supplied certain components.

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Post Title → Renault’s Dacia Duster “No Limit” Racer gets 850HP V6 Sourced from the Nissan GT-R!

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Top Gear Spotted in Italy with Three Hot Hatches

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If there is one television crew that is almost impossible to go by unnoticed (at least by the male population) anywhere they go in the world, it is the hosts of BBC’s widely popular Top Gear program. This time, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond were spotted in the medieval town of Lucca in Tuscany, central Italy. Read more »

Post Title → Top Gear Spotted in Italy with Three Hot Hatches

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Bruno Senna Drivers An F1 Car...One Handed!

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Race car drivers are a funny bunch. In this video, we see Brazilian Formula 1 driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champ Ayrton Senna, Bruno Senna, behind the wheel of the new Renault R30 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. “Oh,” you say in your most jaded tone, “How interesting.” Well it is interesting, as Senna is driving this 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) single-handed while filming the action with a camera phone. Read more »

Post Title → Bruno Senna Drivers An F1 Car...One Handed!

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Renault Launches Special Edition Scenic to Celebrate 15 Years of its Compact MPV

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Renault is marking the 15th anniversary of its first compact MPV model, the Scenic, with a new special edition version called Scenic 15th. Based on the Expression trim level, the Scenic 15th offers a package of additional equipment and discreet styling upgrades for both bodystyles, the 5-seat Scenic and the 7-seat Grand Scenic. Read more »

Post Title → Renault Launches Special Edition Scenic to Celebrate 15 Years of its Compact MPV

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Sebastian Vettel Wins Exciting Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix

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It has been some time since we last watched such an exciting Formula 1 race as the one held on Sunday at the Istanbul Park circuit. Even though the weather did not play any role and the winner's position was not threatened at any time, it was an eventful race. Behind Sebastian Vettel, who has won three out of four GP’s this year, anything was possible.

Mark Webber crossed the finish line in second place, with the Australian managing to overtake Ferrari's Alonso with seven laps to go, after the Spaniard held the second position for a large part of the race. Still, for Alonso and Ferrari, this is the best result so far this season.

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Post Title → Sebastian Vettel Wins Exciting Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix

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Report: Renault Captur to Spawn two Production Models within the next two Years

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It seems Renault's funky Captur concept that premiered in Geneva won't remain just another design study, as the French automaker is planning to build two production models inspired by the small crossover, according company insiders quoted by Autocar. The first version will be a small five-door crossover similar in size to the Nissan Juke, with which it will share the platform. Read more »

Post Title → Report: Renault Captur to Spawn two Production Models within the next two Years

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Renault "Likes" Facebook at Amsterdam’s AutoRAI Trade Show

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Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past seven years knows what Facebook is. It’s the world’s most popular social networking site, with over 600 million users and there’s even a movie (I haven’t seen) with Michael Cera Jesse Eisenberg. So it’s no wonder the world’s automakers are jumping on this bandwagon faster than the Spanish Flu decimated early 20th century Europe.

At the recent 2011 AutoRAI Trade Show in Amsterdam, visitors to Renault’s stand could use Smart Cards encoded with their username and password to “Like” particular cars, read what other people were saying about them on Facebook and take and upload photos. It’s a neat little setup, and practically the definition of, “free publicity”.

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Post Title → Renault "Likes" Facebook at Amsterdam’s AutoRAI Trade Show

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Robert Kubica Discharged from Hospital, Still a Long Way Before F1 Return

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Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica has left the Santa Corona hospital in Italy where he had spent the last 11 weeks after a scary rally accident. According to a hospital statement, the Polish driver is in good condition and will soon begin rehab. “He will carry on being monitored by the Santa Corona doctors who had him in their care through scheduled appointments," the hospital said in a press statement. Read more »

Post Title → Robert Kubica Discharged from Hospital, Still a Long Way Before F1 Return

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New Renault Latitude Sedan

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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.

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Post Title → New Renault Latitude Sedan

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