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Renault Captur concept is French for “Nissan Juke”

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Crossover, Renault

2011 Renault Capture concept

2011 Renault Captur concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The lines between vehicle segments and bodystyles are getting more blurred all the time. And it isn’t just the Germans with their “four-door coupes” and “sports activitiy vehicles,” either. Nissan has proven just as capable of blurring the line between SUV and hatchback with their crossovers – vehicles like the Rogue and Juke. And now the Japanese automaker’s sister company, Renault, appears to be following down the same path with its new Captur concept.

The Captur follows last year’s DeZir show car in showing the way forward for the French automaker’s design language, capturing, as it were, the spirit that future Renaults will be taking. Of course this being a French concept car, it encompasses certain elements that won’t ever see production. Things like the fantastical interior, to start with, and those 22-inch wheels whose white spokes seem to blend right into the tires. But if you want an overall picture of where Renault is heading, this is where it’s at.

Powered by Renault’s Energy dCi 160 twin-turbo engine giving 160 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, the Captur also incorporates dual-clutch gearbox.

Although Renault doesn’t say so specifically in the press release after the jump, where you can scope out all the details, we’re assuming we’ll see the Captur on the show stand at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, from which we’ll be sure to bring you our up-close-and-personal impressions and images. In the meantime, you can scope it out in the high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Renault Captur concept

[Source: Renault]

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Renault Captur concept is French for “Nissan Juke” originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Kubica recovering as Renault weighs potential replacements

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Renault

Robert Kubica arrives at Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, Italy

The Lotus Renault GP team has issued another update on the progress of its star pilot Robert Kubica. The Polish driver, for those who haven’t been following, crashed during the Ronde di Andorra in Italy on Sunday – just weeks before the start of the F1 season – and was airlifted to a local hospital where doctors treated him for multiple fractures and severed tendons in his right limbs.

With the bulk of the procedures now behind him, Kubica is conscious (some reports state that he was revived from a medically-induced coma), and conversing with his doctors as well as visiting relatives and colleagues. Later this week, Kubica will have to undergo additional surgery (for his right shoulder and foot), to be followed by another procedure a few days later. He’s expected to stay at the Santa Corona Hospital where he has been since the crash for another two or three weeks, after which he’ll likely be transfered to another location to rehabilitate, likely for between five months and a full year.

With his recovery underway but a long road ahead, Renault will need to find someone to temporarily take his place for the impending season. Although the team has both Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean – both recent F1 drivers – on contract, the team is reportedly examining all of its options. Among them are Force India drivers Tonio Liuzzi and Nico Hulkeberg, both of which raced last season and have proven themselves competitive drivers. Liuzzi lost his seat this year at Force India, while Hulkenberg took a test-driver role with the team when he lost his seat at Williams.

[Source: Lotus Renault GP, ESPN | Image: Silvio Fasano/AP]

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Followup: Kubica recovering as Renault weighs potential replacements originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault rolls out its own line of tires

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Renault

Renault Motrio tires

Automakers outsource a variety of components to OEM suppliers. The parts could be as small as a screw or as large as the entire car itself, contracting the entire assembly process to outside bidders. But while some automakers make more or less of the parts in-house, one component is always outsourced: the tires.

Renault, however, takes exception to that rule, and in characteristic French defiance is rolling out its own line of tires. Rather than equipping new vehicles with its own rubber, however, the tires are being marketed to existing Renault owners as replacement rubber.

Called the Motrio line, the Renault tires are focused on cutting costs, while maintaining optimal performance and minimal road noise. Now we have but to assume that, even though they’re not saying who is, Renault didn’t start farming their own rubber and actually building the tires themselves. They’re likely made by an existing rubber company to Renault’s specifications and under their license. Still, the French automaker is claiming this as an industry first, and we can’t help but wonder if they won’t extend the project to include sister company Nissan as well.

[Source: Renault]

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Renault rolls out its own line of tires originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China denies involvement in Renault EV spy case; over $841k found in secret bank accounts?

Renault’s zero-emissions lineup

The industrial espionage case involving three top Renault execs and electric vehicle secrets (and maybe China) continues, as the French carmaker has officially filed an accusation against a foreign private company. The company involved was not made public, but the filing does not cite a foreign power, according to Jean-Claude Marin, a Paris prosecutor, in Reuters. In fact, the French government began stepping away from rumors that China is involved with this industrial espionage case. Even still, a member of the conservative UMP party told France-Info radio that, “There are in effect several sources that are typically thought to be serious who consider that a Chinese buyer is in fact behind this operation.” That buyer might be a Chinese power company, which French newspaper Le Figaro reported laundered at least 630,000 Euros (around $841,800 U.S.) into bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein opened by the executives. For its part, China has denied any involvement.

Prosecutor Marin must now make a decision to either oversee his own investigation or to open a judicial inquiry that will go before an independent magistrate. The French intelligence service, Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur (DCRI), has also been looking into the case.

We still don’t know the details of what was allegedly stolen, but Renault Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata tells Reuters that the company’s key technology for electric vehicles is still safe. Nissan executive Carlos Tavares said he “completely trusts” Renault in handling the matter. The Renault-Nissan alliance has invested 4 billion euros ($5.17 billion) in electric vehicles.

The three senior Renault executives who have been suspended are denying their guilt. A lawyer for the highest-ranking of the three defendants notes, “He’s shocked by it, let’s be clear about it… He’s going to clear his name.” Another described his suspension as Kafkaesque, and that the men are reportedly still trying to figure out what they are being accused of. So are we.

[Sources: Reuters, Independent, Economic Times, The Wall Street Journal, Plug In Cars]

China denies involvement in Renault EV spy case; over $841k found in secret bank accounts? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus, Renault

Lotus Renault GP Drivers

Jerome d’Ambrosio (above left) and Vitaly Petrov (above right) the latest drivers to be confirmed for 2011

As we wind down the remaining days of the calendar year, the final few seats are closing for the 2011 Formula One World Championship after both Renault and Virgin have officially confirmed their rosters for next season.

After much speculation and a change of ownership, the Lotus Renault GP team has confirmed that rookie Russian driver Vitaly Petrov will stay with the team to drive alongside fellow incumbent Robert Kubica for another two years. The announcement comes several weeks after widely-publicized negotiations with Kimi Raikkonen broke down.

The Virgin team, which has likewise rebranded as Marussia Virgin Racing, has also confirmed its drivers for next season, with Timo Glock staying on and newcomer Jerome d’Ambrosio taking the second seat. The Belgian driver won the International Formula Master in 2007 and placed second in the GP2 Asia Series in 2008/09. After a year as a Renault reserve driver, d’Ambrosio will replace Lucas di Grassi.

Shortly after the announcement, di Grassi made headlines by winning Felipe Massa’s charity karting event in Brazil ahead of Massa, Williams veteran Rubens Barrichello and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari. Did Virgin act too hastily? Only time will tell.

There are just six seats still unconfirmed at Force India, Toro Rosso and HRT, and the 2011 F1 season is scheduled to kick off on March 13 in Bahrain. Follow the jump for the official announcements from both teams.

[Sources: Renault, Virgin]

Continue reading Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011

Lotus Renault GP, Virgin confirm drivers for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Renault’s racy lesbian Twingo ad banned from Italian TV

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Renault

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Some cars are unfairly derided as “chick cars,” like the Mini Cooper or the Mazda MX-5. Less so the Renault Twingo. While we’re sure it’s a good car for its class, it doesn’t exactly ooze testosterone. Which is fine, of course, because not every car is targeted at male customers. But Renault takes things a step further.

In a controversial television commercial, the French automaker depicts a little girl-on-girl encounter for Italian audiences. One that we won’t describe here, but invite you to watch (over and over again) in the video posted after the jump.

Now Renault’s done some racy spots for the Twingo before – two of which we’ve also posted after the jump – so perhaps the more surprising part is that it’s been banned from the airwaves. In Italy, of all places, by the media conglomerate owned by the country’s philanderer-in-chief, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

A political move, perhaps, in light of recent challenges to his tenure made by conservative leaders (reportedly including Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo)? We’ll leave that to the pundits, and invite you to follow us beyond the jump to watch the videos for yourself. Hat tip to Doogie Hauser!

Gallery: Renault New Twingo

[Source: USA Today]

Continue reading Video: Renault’s racy lesbian Twingo ad banned from Italian TV

Video: Renault’s racy lesbian Twingo ad banned from Italian TV originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Renault-Nissan engines to power future Mercedes, Smart models

Filed under: Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Smart, Renault

The door metaphorically adjoining the offices of Msr. Ghosn and Dr. Zetsche swings both ways. The two executives – heads of Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance respectively – signed a deal that would see the two auto groups collaborating on future products. So far all the reports appear to be benefiting Nissan – including the latest on AMG engines in Infiniti Performance Line models – but the latest indicate a measure of reciprocation.

According to the wire coming in from across the pond, the next generation of Mercedes-Benz A- and B-Class hatchbacks will be powered by Renault-Nissan’s new 128-hp 1.6-liter turbodiesel four. Beyond that, the two auto groups will reportedly begin developing a new range of small engines, similar to the engine program between BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën.

Their displacements will, according to reports, range from 1.2 liters to 1.8, cylinder counts from three to four and coming in both gasoline and diesel formats, to be used in a broad range of small cars bearing Mercedes, Smart, Nissan and Renault badges.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Renault-Nissan engines to power future Mercedes, Smart models originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Lotus Renault GP rolls up its sleeves

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Renault

Lotus Renault GP livery – Click above for high-res image

In the highly competitive environment that is Formula One racing, things can get a bit messy. Rivalries. Crashes. Underhanded maneuvers. Team orders. Scandals. But identity crises? This is a new one. But that’s just what we’re looking at with Lotus. Because you see as we head into the 2011 championship, two teams are on the docket that both claim the same name and plan to fly the same colors.

We’re talking about Lotus-Renault, a legendary pairing but one with a serious split-personality disorder. For the past several months Group Lotus and its Malaysian parent company Proton have been embroiled in a naming rights dispute with Tony Fernandes, owner of what’s until now been called the Lotus Racing team. After licensing the name from Proton (and having nothing to do with the engineering firm and automaker we know as Lotus), Fernandes decided he didn’t need Proton’s permission anymore and renamed his outfit Team Lotus, commensurately switching from Cosworth to Renault engines and pledging to bring back the iconic Lotus black and gold livery.

After a brief exchange in the press, negotiations between the two Lotus parties went behind closed doors. Then reports surfaced that Group Lotus (the automaker) was considering buying Renault out of its stake in its own F1 team, reports that have now been confirmed by official announcement. Renault (the French automaker) has sold its stake in its F1 team to its investment partner Genii Capital, which has in turn sold part to Group Lotus. Retaining Renault engines, the team is therefor being rebranded Lotus Renault GP, and has released the image above showing what their car could look like under the new livery next season.

Thing is, Fernandes’ Team Lotus is contracted to use those same engines, and was planning on resurrecting that same iconic livery. Neither seems eager to relent, but there can only be one Lotus-Renault team, so something’s got to give before the season kicks off in Bahrain on March 13, so stay tuned and check out the full press release after the jump.

[Source: Renault]

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Officially Official: Lotus Renault GP rolls up its sleeves originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: Renault Latitude ready to carry the flag for French automaker

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Renault, Russia

2011 Renault Latitude – Click above for high-res image gallery

Earlier this year, the 2011 Renault Latitude was unveiled at the Moscow International Auto Show. The European version has now made its debut in front of the crowd at the Paris Motor Show. The Latitude is considered a business-class saloon and Renault is positioning it to become the automaker’s flagship vehicle.

The styling of the Renault Latitude somehow evokes images of the Chyrsler Sebring, new Volkswagen Jetta and any Lexus vehicle – yet it’s done in a stylish manner. When it launches in Russia, the Latitude will be available with either a 139-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a CVT or a 2.5-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic that’s good for 177 hp. The four-cylinder unit is rated at 34 miles per gallon while the V6 gets just under 30 mpg. As the car expands into other markets, it will feature an expanding lineup of engine and gearbox choices.

Inside, the Renault Latitude is all about comfort. The power-adjustable driver’s seat features a massaging function with five pneumatic rollers and four different settings. In order to keep everyone else happy, the Latitude has a climate control system with triple-zone adjustability.

The 2011 Renault Latitude hit dealer showrooms in September 2010, in Morocco and Algeria. It then starts popping up in Russia and the Ukraine before being made available throughout Africa. The European model will follow after that.

Gallery: Paris 2010: Renault Latitude

Paris 2010: Renault Latitude

Paris 2010: Renault Latitude ready to carry the flag for French automaker originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raikkonen reportedly negotiating F1 return with Renault

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Renault

Kimi contemplates getting back on the horse after a year’s hiatus

What’s the matter, four world champions on the same grid not enough for you? Well next year could bring even more, if the latest reports pan out.

In addition to world champions Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher duking it out on circuits around the world this season – never mind the prospects for current championship front-runner Mark Webber – reports are now intensifying that 2007 champ Kimi Raikkonen could be back in F1 as soon as next season.

The Finnish driver known as ~~Tom Kazansky~~ “Ice Man” bolted from single-seaters at the end of last season when Ferrari paid him big bucks to vacate his seat for Alonso, shocking the world of motorsports with an impromptu switch to the World Rally Championship instead of driving for an inferior F1 team. Kimi said he’d only return to grand prix racing if and when he could get behind the wheel of a competitive car, preferring to play in the dirt and gravel if not. But based on its performance at this year’s Belgian Grand Prix (scoring a podium and a points finish), Raikkonen now seems convinced that Renault could provide him with such a car, and has approached the team in pursuit of a seat alongside Robert Kubica for next season.

So what’s holding up the deal? Apparently Renault is waiting to see if its current #2 driver Vitaly Petrov can improve his form enough to retain his seat. That’s right: they’d rather have a rookie than a proven world champion. Petrov’s home country of Russia, you see, is a vital market for Renault, and the commercial benefits and potential he brings to the team could be worth more to the French automaker than winning a world championship. Sigh.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Juha Sorri/AFP/Getty]

Raikkonen reportedly negotiating F1 return with Renault originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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