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Renault Captur – new design direction in crossover form

February 11, 2011 at 1:51 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault

The Renault DeZir was my favourite concept from Paris 2010, the stand where I stood by the longest to admire. That lovely lady in red had the right proportions, the right curves and the right jewelry, and is a good first look at Renault’s fresh design direction by Laurens van den Acker. This man loves flowing lines – he came up with Mazda’s Nagare design before joining Renault.

Here’s the Renault Captur concept that will be shown at Geneva 2011, the second concept to show Renault’s design strategy. If DeZir was about “falling in love”, this is the next stage of “two people exploring the world around them”. The French are very romantic, aren’t they?

“Captur is a fun and sporty crossover, ideal for a young couple about to discover the world”, explains Van den Acker. “It takes as its basis the fundamental design language introduced on the DeZir concept car but adds a more technical dimension – more functional but still highly sensuous,” adds Axel Breun, director of concept cars.

Captur adopts the new frontal identity first presented by DeZir. The centrepiece is a large Renault logo set against a dark surface to stand out. “In designing Captur, I began with the image of a sprinter on the starting blocks, his muscles tensed, and the energy unleashed when the starting pistol is fired,” exterior designer, Julio Lozano explains. The design also references things such as helmets, gloves and other sports protective gear.

The Captur is powered by an Energy dCi 160 twin-turbo engine with 160 hp and 380 Nm from just 1.6 litres. Peak torque is available from just 1,750rpm. Paired with a dual clutch EDC gearbox, CO2 emission is less than 99g per km. 0-100 km/h is done in 8 seconds and top speed is 210 km/h. The RX2 system improves traction at low speeds. Should one of the two driven wheels lose traction, this new mechanical self-locking differential transfers all or part of the engine’s torque to the wheel with the most grip.

Gallery after the jump.
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Nick Heidfeld in line to replace Kubica at Lotus Renault GP

February 10, 2011 at 12:11 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports, Renault

With lead driver Robert Kubica possibly out for the entire 2011 F1 season after his serious rallying accident, Lotus Renault GP is expected to overlook its bench of reserve drivers and seek a more experienced driver to lead the line. As we’ve speculated earlier, vastly experienced German driver Nick Heidfeld has emerged as a favourite to take over the race seat and will test for the team this week.

Reports say that Heidfeld has been in talks with Lotus Renault over the last two days and will test the R31 at Jerez. Vitaly Petrov will test today and tomorrow at the Spanish circuit, with Bruno Senna and Heidfeld taking over duties over the weekend. This can be considered a shootout between the former Sauber man and third driver Senna, who last year raced with HRT.

“Should Robert be out for the entire season, then it will normally be a more experienced driver to do the entire season, to develop the car, and everything else,” team owner Gerard Lopez told IVG.it.

“There are drivers who have had good races, for example Nick Heidfeld. We all know that Nick is rather good, but we don’t know what level he is in now, we don’t know how he does with our car. Same goes for Vitantonio Liuzzi, same goes – I don’t know – for Bruno Senna, who last year was in a team with a car that could do nothing,” he added.

As to Kubica’s condition, it’s not as bad as first feared. “The phase of the final surgery operations is beginning: the double operation to foot and shoulder is planned for Friday morning, while the course of surgeries will end next week. The driver’s right hand has completely stabilised. Now the delicate recovery of the functionalities begins,” explained Giorgio Barabino, Head of ICU at the Santa Corona Hospital.

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Lotus Renault R31 launched in Valencia, 92% of car is new

February 1, 2011 at 4:48 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports, Renault

Lotus Renault GP’s 2011 challenger has been unveiled at Valencia, where F1 teams are having their first test session of the year from now till 3rd Feb. Drivers Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov pulled the covers off the R31 alongside Team Chairman Gerard Lopez and Team Principal Eric Boullier.

Genii boss Lopez wants to see the team compete at the front of the grid. “For Genii Capital and Lotus Renault GP, the 2011 season will be the one in which we achieve our aims. Our aim for 2011 is to continue our march towards the front of the grid, seize the slightest opportunity and do better than last season in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. We feel we are well prepared for the challenge ahead,” he said.

Team boss Eric Boullier echoed those sentiments. “All the hard work over the winter has been focused on delivering a big improvement for 2011. The result is a car with more than 92% new parts compared to the R30. But technical innovation isn’t the only key to performance. Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal processes and our overall efficiency has now improved by 15%. That means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory,” he revealed.

As we posted before, Bruno Senna, who last year raced with HRT, joins Lotus Renault’s team of third drivers. His colleagues are Romain Grosjean, Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy. If you’re wondering why the Malaysian isn’t in the picture, he was unable to attend due to GP2 Series commitments.

The black and gold team also welcomes two new partners in SunCore and Sibur. Some other names on the car that you may not have heard off belongs to Genii Capital’s Business Exchange platform.

More pics after the jump.
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Renault-Nissan Alliance flying, with record sales in 2010

January 31, 2011 at 6:41 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan, Renault

It’s all green and go for the 12-year-old Renault-Nissan Alliance, which reported a record year in global sales, with 7,276,398 units achieved in 2010, a 19.6% increase over 2009 in a market that expanded by 11.8%.

Renault and Nissan sold 2,625,796 and 4,080,588 vehicles respectively, making for a 14% jump for Renault and 21.5% for Nissan. Lada sales accounted for 570,014 units, a 37.6% increase compared to 2009. Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors also posted percentage increases, by 12% and 19% respectively.

In Europe, the Renault group volume increased by 7.4% with 1,642,000 units sold in a market that contracted by 3.7%, and moved up one place in the rankings to become number two in passenger car (PC) sales.

Outside Europe, South Korea was notable – with 155,697 units sold, this represented an increase of 16.5% in passenger car sales, adding up to 11.9% of the market share in the country, which is Renault’s fourth largest market globally.

Meanwhile, for Nissan, China became the company’s largest market worldwide, with 1,023,638 units sold, a 35.5% increase on 2009. Sales were led by the midsize sedan Sylphy, with 142,367 units sold and the flagship car model Teana, with sales of 140,842 units.

In the US, Nissan and Infiniti sales totalled 908,570 units, an 18% increase over the previous year, while in Japan, government subsidies and launches of five new models such as the March, Juke and Serena contributed to the 7.7% increase in sales, with 645,320 units delivered.

In Europe, total sales increased by 13% to 555,924 units, with the main market being the UK, with 96,419 units sold, followed by Russia with 84,288 units.

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Renault Megane RS N4 – tarmac rally package

December 8, 2010 at 4:15 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Renault

Wanna take your Renault Megane RS 250 rallying? Renault now has a Group N tarmac rally package for privateers and trainers for sale that effectively turns your hot hatch Megane into the Renault Megane RS N4.

The 2.0 litre turbo engine gets boosted up to 270 PS and 470Nm, up from the standard 250 PS and 340Nm. Not a whole lot of extra power but gobs of extra torque. An Ohlins suspension kit is also included, along with a roll bar and Sabelt 6-point harness racing seats.

The package also includes some weight reduction but the details released so far does not reveal how much – both in terms of weight and price tag!
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Renault Sport Megane RS 250 Cup – Full Test Drive Review

November 24, 2010 at 11:24 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Renault, Test Drive Reviews

I have been itching to drive the Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup ever since we knew that it was coming to Malaysia. The previous gen R26 (the one with the big booty) was a great drive, and it would be interesting to see how Renault Sport would improve on the experience, if it could.

The 250 Cup was launched two weeks ago at Sepang, and it looks like TC Euro Cars has ticked all the right boxes and pushed all the right enthusiast buttons. At just below RM230K, this king of hot hatches comes with 250 turbocharged horses, mechanical LSD, mega Brembos with slotted discs, Recaro seats, R.S. Monitor which reads out g-force and lap times (among other figures car nuts love) and the sole option of a six-speed manual gearbox. How about that for a menu!

Continue reading the report after the jump.
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VIDEO: Megane RS 250 at Sepang with driver comments!

November 22, 2010 at 8:11 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Renault, Videos

The arrival of the Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup to our shores is a godsend for car enthusiasts. No longer based on the five-door body with two doors lopped off, the new Megane RS looks spectacular and perfects the great formula of the previous gen R26 – turbocharged punch, Cup chassis, mechanical LSD and real world usability. And priced at RM229,800, it’s relative good value for what’s on offer.

Before the launch, we showed you a teaser video of the Megane taking on Sepang and setting a lap time of 2:43.02 in the hands of race driver Denis Lian. Now, Renault has released the full video of the RS on track, complete with the Singaporean ace driver’s comments. Apparently, they finished one and a half fuel tanks of petrol in that track session with no issues, proving Renault’s claims that the RS is a good track weapon.

“This car really took me by surprise. The amount of mid corner grip it had and the adjustability of the chassis, ‘cos usually front engine cars are quite understeery and you can’t really adjust the chassis. This car, you come into the slow corners, you can trail brake in and the back end rotates, but it doesn’t snap out.

“It rotates, it tightens the line and you can power through very very easily even on the exit – there’s so much grip,” the ex-A1GP driver said.

“And it’s not just the speed, it was fun to drive, that’s the main thing. The chassis was so fun to play with, which is very unexpected in a front wheel drive car. As a track day tool, look at me, I had a ball of a time,” Denis concludes. I’ve had the honour to be ferried by Denis in an Elise before, and trust me, this guy knows what having fun in a car is really about!

Watch out for a test drive report that’s coming your way soon!

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French daily: Renault to sell 25% of F1 team to Proton?

November 15, 2010 at 11:45 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Lotus, Motorsports, Proton, Renault

According to Paris daily Le Figaro, French carmaker Renault is about to sell its remaining 25% stake in the Renault F1 Team to national carmaker Proton, and that the deal will be formalised this Wednesday, citing unidentified people close to the matter. Renault has already sold 75% of the team to Genii Capital Partners last year.

Proton’s wholly owned subsidiary Group Lotus will be the team’s sponsor, and will pour about 30 million euros ($41 million) annually over five years into the team, the report said, adding that the team’s new name may be Lotus-Renault as the French automaker will continue supplying engines. Renault engines will also power champions Red Bull Racing and Lotus Racing next season.

Rumours of a “Lotus-Renault” surfaced earlier this month. When questioned, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn not only did not deny the rumour, but hinted strongly at the possibility of a name change for the F1 team. Click here to read what he said.

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Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup launched – RM230K!

November 11, 2010 at 3:28 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Renault

UPDATE: Live gallery from today’s launch added

TC Euro Cars today launched the Megane Renault Sport 250 Cup at the Sepang International Circuit. The latest Megane RS is a much anticipated entry by enthusiasts and at the time of launch, 11 people have already put their names down for it. This made in Spain 250 hp three-door “coupe” is attractively priced at RM229,800 OTR without insurance (RM188 cheaper than the old R26), making the VW Scirocco look expensive in comparison.

For that money, one gets a high spec performance machine that’s comes with a limited slip differential (LSD) by GKN Driveline, lovely Recaro seats (with Renault Sport logo and yellow seat belts), 4-piston Brembo brakes with 340 mm slotted discs (largest in class, 35 mm bigger than cross drilled R26 discs) and the R.S. Monitor showing real-time data (stopwatch with memory function, acceleration timer, g-force meter, turbo pressure, oil temp, torque/power figures) plus the option of five throttle map settings.

The wheels are 18-inch items with 235/40 Michelins. TC Euro chose not to opt for the dramatic 19-inch “spider style” wheels due to our road conditions and tyre replacement costs.

But the most vital inclusion is the Cup chassis, which is 10 mm lowered with uprated springs, dampers and anti roll bars. Suspension flex has been reduced by 35% and 38% respectively for the front and rear while the front anti roll bars have been stiffened by 13% over the standard chassis. The Performance Hub allows for an independent steering front axis, eliminating torque steer. Aluminium pivots and lower arms reduce unsprung weight while ball joints are used in place of bearings for less friction. Speaking of weight, the Megane RS’ kerb weight is 1,387 kg. The ESP system is a multi mode affair which can be fully switched off.

The 2.0-litre engine from the R26 has been updated with around 30% of new parts, including a twin-scroll turbo, reinforced piston/conrods, new coolers, sodium coated valves and piston ring carriers. The result is 250 hp and 340 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm, 80% of which (272 Nm) is available at 1,900 rpm. This is 20 hp and 30 Nm more than in the R26, which is why performance is improved – the 250 Cup does 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds on to a top speed of 245 km/h compared to the R26′s 6.5 sec/235 km/h. To compare, the 207 hp Scirocco’s stats are 6.9 sec and 238 km/h.

Renault Sport is a “keep it true” brand dedicated to the enthusiast, which is why there’s no twin-clutch or auto option – you can only have it with a six-speed manual. This gearbox is a new one with revised ratios and a more precise feel over the R26. Combined cycle fuel consumption is 8.4 litres per 100 km or 11.9 km/l.

The 250 Cup is positioned as a track tool that’s perfectly comfortable on the road, so it gets plenty of luxuries. Keyless entry and start, Bluetooth handsfree, dual-zone air con, auto lights and wipers, iPod and USB ports, bi-xenons with daytime running lights plus six airbags. By the way, not only did the Megane RS score a five-star Euro NCAP rating, it did so with maximum 37/37 points.

We posted up a video last week showing racer Denis Lian doing a 2:43.02 time at Sepang. He was at the launch today and said that better conditions would have seen him do half a second better. The Singaporean praised the Megane for combining both driver feel and the ability to set fast lap times (they don’t always walk hand-in-hand!) , as well as its amazing punch out of corners, adding that the car’s German rivals feel “anodyne” while British rivals (Ford Focus RS?) have lots of feel but are “too wild”.


Lucky first eight buyers sampled their own cars on the track today

Available in three colours (yellow, white, grey), the Megane RS 250 Cup comes with a 3-year warranty. An optional GT Pack (moonroof and leather seats) is available for RM10,000. Gallery from the launch at SIC is after the jump.
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What’s in a name? – Renault gets to use Zoe for its EV

November 11, 2010 at 3:22 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, International News, Renault

renault zoe

So, what’s in a name? Nothing and everything, depending on which side of the fence you’re looking from. In this case, it has all to do with Zoe, Renault’s new electric car planned for market introduction in 2012. A bizarre naming dispute came about recently, but Renault has been given the go ahead to name the EV – introduced in Zoe Preview form in Paris recently – as intended, after a French judge ruled in favour of the automaker.

According to news reports, the parents of two children curiously named Zoe Renault (the families aren’t related to the company) had brought the case to court to get Renault to choose another name for the vehicle, and in doing so prevent the children – and indirectly, the 35,000 or so other Zoes in France – from having to endure a lifetime of ribbing (like, ‘equipped with dual front airbags?’) over the name. The parents of the two Zoe Renaults, aged two and eight, were not seeking any damages.

In what was a fast-tracked proceeding, the judge found against the families, stating that they would only have a case if there was enough proof that naming the car Zoe – which means life in Greek – would cause “certain, direct and current harm” to the children.

renault zoe 2

The automaker has models with female first names, for example, the Megane and Clio, which are popular names for girls in France. None, however, have brought about such organised opposition – with this one, more than 6,000 people signed a petition on a Facebook page called “Zoe’s not a car name.”

Apparently, first names are a pretty serious thing in France – in the past, there was a specific list of names which parents were restricted to in naming their children. Those rules have since been slackened, but even then, an official can still oppose a ridiculous name choice that could potentially damage the child’s future.

So, don’t be a pajero (look up that one in Spanish) and start with those bawdy Elise and Mercedes jokes now. Names, indeed.

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