Renault
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On Thursday of this week, FOTA plans to speed up preparations for next year's breakaway world championship. According to strong speculation, the timing of the meeting has been planned to occur immediately after Wednesday's World Motor Sport Council summit. Rumors indicate that a vote could be proposed to oust FIA president Max Mosley - or minimally reduce his power - thus potentially ending the standoff with the rebel teams. It has emerged that the FOTA bosses met on Sunday morning in the Renault motor home, where it was decided that it would be unanimously declared that no peace deal with...
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McLaren boss says breakaway will quash F1 while Mosley appears unconcernedOne way or another, it appears that the core teams of what has been Formula 1 for the past 50 years will be racing against each other next year. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh thinks the recognition will follow the teams, while FIA president Max Mosley thinks the team will be forced to return when...
Kenneth Hall -
Formula One Teams Association announces breakaway series for 2010As evening fell at Silverstone on Thursday, Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) bosses headed out onto the A43 bound for Renault's nearby Enstone headquarters. After deliberating for hours, the team body has since released a statement that all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial...
Kenneth Hall -
Renault will preview production EV with Frankfurt Motor Show conceptFrench automaker Renault has been working on its own electric car concepts for the last couple of years, and last year we saw some of the fruits of its labor in the form of the Z.E. electric vehicle and Ondelios hybrid concept vehicles. This year, Renault plans on unveiling three new electric...
Alex Kaufmann -
ACEA calls for new FIA constitution, Ferrari rejects 2010 F1 entryToday the FIA published the 2010 Formula 1 entry list to a cold reception from Ferrari and the Red Bull/Scuderia Toro Rosso teams as all three were included when they'd submitted written notice to be left off the list. As a result, the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA) has...
Nelson Ireson -
Role reversal: China bans four Renault models for safety concernsIn an odd and somewhat comical reversal of the usual state of things, China has today announced the halt of import of four Renault models on the back of 'serious safety risks' and non-compliance with regulations. The models affected include the Laguna, Scenic, Megane and Megane Coupe-Cabriolet - in...
Nelson Ireson -
General Motors and Penske Automotive Group today confirmed details of a proposed transaction under which Penske would acquire the Saturn brand. If completed, the deal would save more than 350 dealerships and 13,000 jobs at Saturn and its retailers in the U.S., as well as preserving the brand itself. The proposed transaction is part of GM’s rebuilding efforts outlined in the viability plan that was submitted to the U.S. government earlier this year. Under the terms in the memorandum of understanding, Penske would obtain the rights to the brand as well as certain other Saturn assets. GM...
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Renault expands Megane lineup with stylish Estate wagonRenault has released more details on its new Megane Estate wagon, which made its world debut back in March at the Geneva Motor Show and is set to go on sale in Europe later this month. The new Estate distinguishes itself from the standard Megane hatch with its greater carrying capacity, extended...
Ralph Hanson -
Report: Penske most likely to acquire Saturn, announcement expected soonGM has picked Penske Automotive Group as the buyer for Saturn. Click here for all the details. GM's preparations for bankruptcy means the company is looking to sell as many of its 'bad' assets as possible in order to raise capital and streamline operations. One of these is the Saturn brand, which...
James Martinez -
Ghosn: Nissan to grow its connections with Renault to help boost earningsJust days after reporting its first loss since Carlos Ghosn took the helm in 1999, Nissan is looking for ways to get back on track, and Ghosn thinks that means tightening its relationship with Renault. More cooperation could mean lower total costs and therefore more profitability, but the specifics...
Ralph Hanson -
Renault joins Ferrari, threatens to quit F1 in 2010As was expected on Wednesday, Renault confirmed that it too is threatening to quit formula one over the budget cap issue. The Flavio Briatore-led outfit said it is the two-tier element of Max Mosley's 2010 rules that has caused its French parent to "reconsider its entry in next year's" world...
Ralph Hanson -
Nissan loses $2.4 billion in 2008, Mazda down $736 millionRenault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has often been praised for his job turning around the two companies nearly a decade ago, and since then Nissan has shown nothing but profits. But in 2008, Nissan returned its first loss in 8 years, showing $2.4 billion in the red. Operating losses were a somewhat...
Nelson Ireson -
The Internet is awash with electric vehicle demonstration vehicles, but few have as much oddball spark as the new Kangoo be bop ZE. Based around the standard be bop, but with zero emissions (hence the ZE) capabilities, the car is to be used as a test vehicle to show off what its EV platform can do. Looking a lot like it shares some of its internals with the recently revealed Nissan EV-02 prototype - Renault and Nissan are joined at the corporate hip, after all - the Kangoo be bop ZE features some fairly impressive stats. Its range of 100km (62mi) from a lithium-ion battery back and 60hp...
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Renault releases new photos of Clio RS ahead of UK launchRenault just unveiled the brand-new Clio in February and barely a month later it was out with the hotted-up Renaultsport (RS) variant in Geneva. The car features many of the same performance upgrades found on bigger brother the Megane RS, but in a more compact and peaky package. Now we have a new...
Nelson Ireson -
Spy Shots: Renault Confirms Twingo CC For 2010First shown off as a concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault's Twingo CC (coupe-cabrio) was expected to make it to production in 2008. Delays have hit the little car's development, but Renault is adamant it will be launched by the end of next year. "We are working on a small convertible...
Alex Kaufmann -
Government preparing for possible Chrysler bankruptcyAs the April 30 deadline for Chrysler to restructure its business looms closer, the Treasury department has begun to prepare a bankruptcy filing for the struggling carmaker. The news highlights the severity of Chrysler's situation should it fail to enact a deal with Italian auto giant Fiat, but the...
James Martinez -
Chrysler creditors offer to swap debt for equityChrysler's race to turn its debts into equity took a major turn for the better today, with an offer from a group of banks and hedge funds that hold almost $7 billion in debt. The group is proposing to exchange around $2.5 billion of Chrysler's debt, but only in exchange for close to 40% of the...
James Martinez -
3 Chrysler plants under consideration for Fiat re-toolingNegotiations between Chrysler and Fiat regarding an alliance have now turned to production capabilities, and an anonymous source has revealed that three Chrysler plants are under consideration for possible re-tooling, at which point they will build Fiat vehicles, as well as Chrysler-badged vehicles...
Ralph Hanson -
Nissan's electric vehicle (EV) involvement in Project Better Place programs in Denmark and Israel, plus test fleets in its home market of Japan will be joined by a new agreement with the state of Arizona. The deal will have cars hitting the streets of Phoenix late next year, and will see electric-vehicle infrastructure set up in the city over the coming year. The goal of the project is not about selling cars but to raise the profile of the zero-emissions electric vehicles while also helping to work out ways to develop the infrastructure necessary to support their widespread use. The Arizona...
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Mazda's ex-head of design goes to RenaultIn the seemingly never-ending merry-go-round of the automotive design world, the latest update is Laurens van den Acker's arrival at Renault. Last month van den Acker resigned from his post at the head of Mazda's design operations, but did not reveal his plans for the future. Now van den Acker will...
Nelson Ireson -
More details on the potential Fiat-Chrysler alliance emergeAt the end of March the President's task force on the industry put a 30-day window on Chrysler and Fiat reaching an alliance agreement. Just hours later Chrysler announced the two companies had signed off on the deal. That turned out to be premature, but the deal is still being developed, with new...
Jeremy Weber -
Renault launches new 'Black Edition' Laguna CoupeRenault has just launched a new 'Black Edition' of its Laguna Coupe, a practice that carries on from the earlier special editions produced for the Laguna sedan and estate variants. The package includes special metallic paint available in Pearlescent Black, Cassiopée Grey and Platine Grey. Other...
Ralph Hanson -
Renault-Samsung previews new SM3 sedan with Seoul Motor Show conceptMost of the world would recognize Samsung as the South Korean electronics giant famous for manufacturing televisions and mobile phones, but the company has also branched out into the world of building cars together with Renault-Nissan in recent years. Around this time last year we reported that...
Jeremy Weber -
Jeep’s future will likely include compact Fiat Panda CrossFollowing the announcement of the proposed alliance between Fiat and Chrysler in January, the question on everybody’s lips was which European top-sellers were finally going to come to North America. Stylish compact cars like the Fiat 500 and Bravo were suddenly a very real possibility for...
Ralph Hanson