Archive for Renault

Proton managing director Datuk Hj Syed Zainal says Proton is in very preliminary talks with Renault on a technical collaboration, which sources in the company say are centered around the supply of a diesel engine for Proton. Proton is also toying with the idea of a Laguna-based Perdana but this is just one of the many options that are being looked at including one based on the SAIC-owned Rover 75 platform.

Renault currently has various diesel engines ranging from 1.5 liters to 2.2 liters including the M9R 2.0L diesel, which comes from the same family as the MR petrol engines found locally in the Nissan Grand Livina and Nissan Sylphy.

These talks between manufacturers happen all the time and could range from a simple supplier and customer relationship to a technical collaboration, and this happens even more often these days due to the pressure on manufacturers to reduce costs, increase sales and improve profits.

Proton says an equity sale is not being considered in these talks.

Apart from unveiling the Renault Megane RenaultSport 250 in Geneva, the French auto maker also revealed the Renault Clio RenaultSport 200 which also belongs in the performance segment. Offered in two forms, the Clio RenaultSport 200 and the Clio RenaultSport 200 Cup, both models receive power from a naturally aspirated 200HP at 7,100 revs 2.0 liter 16-valve engine, that is also capable of 215Nm of torque at 5,400 revs.

Design wise, the Clio RenaultSport 200 is treated to an aerodynamic splitter, large air intakes, wider front and rear wings, twin exhaust tailpipes which are more visible now and a new rear diffuser, as well as RenaultSport badging on the tailgate, on the side protective moldings’ satin-finish chrome inserts, as well as on the intake manifold. Buyers can also opt for the centre section of the front bumper, front splitter, exterior mirror housings and rear diffuser to be finished in either Gloss Black or Anthracite. The above mentioned aerodynamic upgrades account for an improvement in drag coefficient of 0.02.

On the inside, the driver is surrounded by aluminium pedal covers and footrest, perforated leather steering wheel with visible stitching and yellow centre-point marker, yellow rev-counter that includes an audible and visible Formula 1-style gearshift indicator, body-hugging RenaultSport seats, as well as Renaultsport badging on the rev-counter background, door sills and front seats. With three trim options available including Silver Grey, Yellow and Dark Anthracite, buyers can also opt for Recaro seats which are equipped with lateral airbags, plus a rigid and glass-fiber / polyamide-injected shell.

Improvements were also made to the suspension with wider front and rear tracks (by 48 mm and 50 mm respectively), extended wheelbase (by 10 mm), independent steering axis layout on the front suspension that minimizes weight and provides resistance to torque steer and a stiffened programmed deflection torsion beam which is fine tuned to offer immediate turn-in. Other upgrades include; Brembo front brake callipers, double-effect damper technology, front anti-roll bar with larger diameters (by 1 mm) as well as alloy wheels that are 1 kilogram lighter and wrapped with Continental Sport Contact 3 tires (215/45 R17).

Overall, the Clio RenaultSport 200 is able to sprint to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 226 km/h. The Clio RenaultSport 200 Cup model features a ride height that is 7 mm lower, stiffer damper calibration and a revised steering system. Overall, the stiffer 200 Cup is also lighter by 36 kilograms. Renault also revealed that buyers of the RenaultSport 200 can also opt for the stiffer suspension with an extra charge.

Other fitments available in the Clio RenaultSport 200 include; Carminat TomTom navigation system (optional for GBR 500), hands-free card, two stereo upgrades including the Sound Pack and the Bluetooth Sound Pack, electric sunroof, cruise control with speed limiter, automatic climate control and automatic lights and wipers. Sales will initiate in the U.K by May this year. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Geneva 2009: Renault Clio RenaultSport 200

French auto maker Renault has revealed the third generation 5-seater Scenic and 7-seater Grand Scenic models at the Geneva Motor Show.

With an exterior which has hints of the Renault Megane, the new Scenic range features an interior with a minimalist dashboard, improved knee-clearance (235 mm for Scenic and 275 mm Grand Scenic), improved luggage space (522 liters for Scenic and 702 liters for Grand Scenic), the ability to fold-flat third-row seats in the Grand Scenic and to remove second-row seating and more.

Other features include; a reversing camera for easier parking, upper-range 3D Sound by Arkamys audio system, a suspension system that includes a MacPherson-type front suspension linked to a horned subframe and closed-section rear torsion beam, electric power steering and so on. Potential buyers can also choose between two navigation systems.

Power plant options include three petrol units such as the 110HP 1.6 liter 16-valve engine, a 130HP TCe 130 (Turbo Control Efficiency) and a 140HP 2.0 liter power plant. Diesel wise, there is the dCi 130, a dCi 150 FAP as well as a dCi 160 FAP. There are three transmission options including a CVT, a 6 speed automatic and a 6 speed manual gearbox.

In terms of safety, the Scenic and Grand Scenic comes with key features such as ABS, standard emergency brake assist, ESC (Electronic Stability Control) with CSV understeer control and new-generation headrests. Continue reading to view an image gallery of the Renault Grand Scenic.

Click here to read the rest of Geneva 2009: Renault reveals the Scenic and Grand Scenic

Its finally here! French auto maker; Renault has released the much anticipated Megane Renaultsport 250 at the Geneva Motor Show. Featuring a body design that is very much influenced by the Renault Trophy Car, it is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged 16-valve engine that produces 250HP and 340Nm torque. The power plant with a twin-scroll turbocharger is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission.

On the outside, it features a front splitter, LED day time running lights, widened sills, a diffuser as well as 18 inch sport wheels among others. The interior breathes sportiness with an analog tachometer that includes audible and visual shift indicators.

Suspension wise, there are two options including; a standard sport chassis which provides daily-driver responsiveness as well as a Cup suspension option that includes a limited-slip differential. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Geneva 2009: Renault unleashes the Megane Renaultsport 250 in Geneva

Renault has unveiled the mid-life cycle update for the Renault Clio III, and has also revealed preliminary details on a new variant called the Clio GT. The Clio GT will slot in between the plain vanilla Clio and the powerful Clio 197.

From the initial press release it appears that the GT will be a Clio dressed up with a new aggressive front end styling incorporating a black grille, extended side sills, suspension settings unique to the GT, and a twin tailpipe design with a lip spoiler on the rear. It will be available with a new exclusive colour called Malta Blue. On the interior it will receive drilled aluminium pedal covers and extra side support for the front seats.

Other than that, the Clio GT doesn’t seem to have an engine with a power output in between the standard Clio (highest output – 138hp with the 2.0 VVT engine) and the 197, but this may be a fact that’s hidden until its Geneva unveiling. Ideally a boosted up version of the H4Jt with 160+ horses could be fitted in and make a suitable “warm hatch” engine.

The basic Clio facelift gets a few cosmetic changes as well as a new TomTom Carminat integrated GPS navigation system on the side. Check out more photos of the facelifted new Clio GT after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Clio III facelift with new Clio GT variant

Ford may finally have a buyer for its Volvo brand after all, in the form of an old French suitor named Renault. Renault almost merged with Volvo in the early 1990s and they have even co-developed some engines together. Everything is still at the discussion stage though, which began sometime last year. Renault and Volvo is seen to be a good fit as Renault makes mostly compact cars except for the Laguna (which isn’t all that big in the first place) while Volvo makes larger cars, so vehicle platforms would be complementary to each other. I’m pretty sure much of the Western world would much rather a French company than a Chinese company like Changan or SAIC.

Click for enlarged image

Dacia has expanded its eco2 brand name with a few new vehicles – the Sandero and Logan 1.4 LPG, the Logan MCV 1.6 LPG, the Sandero 1.6 E85 bioethanol, and a new engine variant for the Sandero and Logan that users a 1.2 liter 16 valve 75 horsepower engine with emissions of 139g/km.

To qualify as an eco2 vehicle, a Dacia vehicle has to meet the same standard’s as Renault’s own eco2 brand. The vehicle must have CO2 emissions of less or equal to 140g/km, or must be biofuel compatible. The car must also be produced in one of two ISO 14001-certified plants, which are either the Somaca factory in Morocco or the Pitesti factory in Romania. The car must also be 95% end-of-life recoverable by weight, and at least 5% which they contain must be sourced from recycling.

Their argument for bioethanol can be seen in the image above, which not only takes into account vehicle CO2 output but the total CO2 output of the whole process of getting the fuel from its source into your car’s fuel tank. Plus the source of the bioethanol actually consumes CO2, which further improves the fuel’s “carbon footprint“.

Click here to read the rest of Dacia expands eco2 range with LPG and E85 cars

Renault UK has packaged some of its optional creature comforts into a cheaper-priced pack, allowing potential owners who want them to get them for a half price compared to if they were to select the options individually.

The Clio Renaultsport 197 Lux adds leather upholstery, automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, cornering lights, extra tinted rear windows, a 60W MP3 CD player, Renaultsport carpet mats, satin chrome finish on the aircond vents, door mirrors and front wing grilles, and brushed aluminium alloys.

At £16,995, the Lux version costs £1,000 more than the standard version, but all the extra accessories are worth £2,000. If you want more, there is still the electrically folding door mirrors (£100), an electrically operated panoramic sunroof (£600), xenon headlamps (£550), Speedline wheels in either white or black (£100) or a “Cup” chassis (£400).

The Clio Renaultsport 197 is also available in Malaysia for RM210,182.00.

Renault is once again displaying the versatility of the Logan platform with this new concept, the Renault Sand’Up Concept. The Sand’Up Concept is based on the Renault Sandero Stepway, a budget compact “crossover” that is based on the Logan’s platform.

Renault calls it a fusion of both a “coupe” and a pick-up, though it’s only a pickup in the sense of very light duty such as ferrying your mountain bike to the park – don’t expect to do much heavy duty work with this thing! It also shares the Sandero Stepway’s higher ride height so some very light offroading should be achievable.

I can’t help but think that Proton has attempted this before a couple of years ago with the Proton Arena. It was also a very light pick-up modified from a car chassis, and if I recall correctly it had various styles, some of which made it look somewhat like a coupe.

Look after the jump for a hi-res gallery and a video. Be sure to check out the video as it explains so much more about the concept (how it converts from a 2 seater to a 4 seater, how the pickup bed works, etc) than text and photos could ever achieve.

Click here to read the rest of Renault Sand’Up Concept based on Sandero

While TC Euro Cars is still selling the old Kangoo here in Malaysia, the rest of the world has seen the launch of the bigger and better second generation Renault Kangoo built on the Renault Scenic chassis. Renault is obviously eager to kill two birds with one stone with the Kangoo, aiming it at both the commercial and lifestyle crowd, and this is the latest body variant of the Kangoo to appeal to the latter market segment – the 3-door Renault Kangoo be bop. Continue reading more on the be bop after the jump.

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