The Renault 16 went on production between 1965 and 1980 and was the flagship sedan of the brand during those years. Aside from having a Hemi, the 16 was the a pioneering French car being the first to have the central lock system in the country and also helped the hatchback design to be accessible to the consuming public.

Let’s now go back to the current calendar and you will notice that you cannot tap a vehicle in the Renault garage and call it its flagship sedan. When you look at the list, the last flagship sedan was the Vel Satis which only had a 62,000 unit run and terminated on 2009.

The new general director of the brand, Carlos Tavares, wants to do something and give the brand is new flagship sedan.

The car manufacturing executive recently announced that Renault will be pushing thru with its plan to start production of their flagship sedan come 2014. In order to do this, the carmaker pours in around $534 million of funding to the Douia factory which will need some upgrade and modernization. Aside from the flaghsip sedan, the plant will also be Laguna, a midsize sedan, and the minivan called Espace.

The manufacturer does not want to give out anything about the new flagship sedan but hinted that we can expect a concept version of this vehicle during the motor show in Paris or during the 2013 auto show in Geneva. The Renault executive also hinted that the Alpine brand might be resurrected but a final green light for this project is still being awaited.

The Twizy Colour has a sticker price of £6950 ($10,858) while the Twizy Urban variant will come in at £6690 ($10,452) and the top of the line Twizy Technic version will set buyers back by £7,400 ($11,561). In addition to the cost of the Renault Twizzy, consumers will also have to cover for the month battery cost of £40. The cost of the battery hire is computed on a 3 year outlook with the user traveling for 4,500 miles each year.

The difference between the Colour  and Urban variants of the Renault Twizy will only be the paintwork on the  body.

The Renault Twizy Colour comes with a stylized varying bodywork while the Urban will come available only in blue, grey, black, or solid red. The top of the line Renault Twizy Technic will come in pearly white or metallic black with nice features like the white seats, some carbon-fiber graphics, and black alloy rims.

The Renault Twizy will be in showrooms for sale by March 2012. The Renault Twizy is just 7.7 feet in length, weighs 992 pounds, and boasts of good acceleration and torque. The Twizy has a torque of 42 pound-feet and can go as fast as 50 miles per hour. So far the Twizzy has been getting good reviews, and aside from comments of a bit of an under steering, thosse who have tried it were most likely convinced that they can use one.

Charging of the Twizy takes around 3.5 hours for a full charge and about three hours of charging for 80% of capacity. Yes, just like your mobile phone, this electric comes with a charger and a cord.

The Estate Wagon has a bigger carrying capacity compared to the standard hatch unit of Megane. The wagon also has an extended wheelbase and rear overhang.

The Estate’s front end is identical to the face of the hatchback variant. The designers modified the tail end and side of the wagon so it will look more proportional. The trunk offers a big space of 524L that can be made bigger by as much as 119L when the rear sits are folded down.

Consumers will have a full range of choices when it comes to the engine of the Estate. The wagon is offered both in diesel and petrol variants.

The new TCe 130 powerplant is a very economical choice offered by Renault to Estate buyers. The 1.4L engine has lower emissions compared to the bigger 1.6L but boasts of power comparable to a 1.8 with a torque of a 2.0. Awesome fuel efficiency in a great car, I love it!

The Megane Estate can also be acquired as a 2.0L run vehicle coupled with automatic transmission. A lower 1.6L petrol engine is also available that can output about 100 to 110 horsepower.

The diesel engine Megane comes in a number of choices including three variants for the 1.5L dCi. The diesel line up features low emissions ranging from 118 to 120g/km for the dCi 86 and 106, respectively. The diesel engine brood is headed by the 2.0dCi which can be acquired in ranging power outputs. Consumers can opt for 140 to 160 horsepower.

The details of the electric vehicles were not revealed. Designers of from Renault though guarantee that their EV will be distinct from the range of EV’s emerging in the market today. They will make sure that consumers will know that it is a Renault EV when they see one on the road.

The car manufacturers seem to show some ingenuity with the designs as the different engine and set up give some freedom for a different look which gives emphasis to the environmental aspect of the vehicle.

The Renault EV is said to be around 13 ft in length and will come as a 5-door hatchback. We can expect more details and specs as the Frankfurt show nears. Aside from the new EV, there will also be an electric variant of the Megane, a Renault sedan. Another version of the Kangoo is also set to debut. Both of these EVs will reach dealerships in Europe in a couple of years.

Renault will also display their Quick Drop system which is set to address issues with regard to recharging electric cars. Quick Drop will allow switching of a dead battery into a fresh one in a matter of minutes. There will also be a plug-in system which will allow future EV owners to charge their environmentally friendly cars at home overnight.

At present, lack of infrastructure to meet the needs of electric cars is the missing link why the market segment has not yet boomed. With the products from Renault and other manufacturers, the hope of seeing EVs along our main roads in the near future may become a reality.

The four Renault models that were questioned for their safety risks are the following: Scenic, Megane, Megane Coupe-Cabriolet, and the Laguna. These alleged automobiles belong to Renault’s crème de la crème. According to Automotive News, the decision to halt the import was made by the General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of China.

The statement from AQSIQ read as follows: “We have repeatedly found batches of passenger vehicles made by the French Renault … do not conform with our country’s mandatory standards and relevant technical regulations, and there are serious safety risks.”

As far as China’s ill record for automobile safety with its locally made Brilliance BS6, Renault’s banned imports can be quite ironic and amusing. However, it is important to note that China is today’s largest market in automobiles, making the Renault ban a painful stab for the French automaker.

At present, the French company has yet to issue a statement. The spokesman for Renault only revealed that they were “surprised” with China’s decision to ban and question, taking into consideration that the banned models’ quality has been tested and evaluated in terms of press reviews and professional driving tests.

The new Clio RS receives some upgrades to perform like its bigger sibling the Megane RS. The treatment was just done to fit the compact image of the vehicle. The fuel mileage of the car was measured at 34.5mpg and CO2 emission recorded at 195g/km.

Under the hood of the Clio RS is a 16 valve 2.0L engine that can output 200 horspower or 149KW and maximum torque of 158 lb-ft. The power ratio is a beat peaky but the engine can still bring the car to 62 mph in just around seven seconds. The top speed of the Clio RS was recorded at 141 mph.

Buyers have two options in terms of the tuning of the chassis. One may go for the Cup version which is about 36kg lighter or the standard release which is a bit heavier than its sporty counterpart but a lot more comfortable.

The Clio RS models get the same aerodynamic package. They all have the front splitter for more downforce, a rear diffuser, and air extractors in the form of front wings.

Brembo brake calipers come standard to all models. The Clio RS roll on stylish 17-inch rims. Handling and stability during high speed were also improved for this release of the Clio.

The inside was designed for the comfort of all occupants. The car has Recaro seats coming in Anthracite, Silver Grey, or Yellow color treatments.

The Japanese car maker will be marketing ZEVs in the US by 2010 and has plans of marketing the ZEVs worldwide by 2012. This plan starts to materialize with the coast to coast promo of the Nissan Electronic Vehicle Prototype.

The Nissan-Renault Alliance will help the SDG&E group in building the foundation for the vital EV charging infrastructure. The collaboration will work with other agencies, companies, and institutions to implement the promotion of EVs around the country and ultimately build the network to charge batteries for these kind of vehicles.

Both companies expressed their excitement for a pioneer endeavor which will make San Diego a plug-in ready region for EVs.

The alliance between Renault and Nissan kicked of with similar initiatives in Denmark, Portugal, Israel, Monaco, Japan, and Kanagawa.

Cooperation was also established with electric companies like EDF of France and Energie Ouest Suisse of Switzerland. In the UK, it sealed a deal with the greentomatocars and electromotive UK. In the US, Nissan-Renault partnered with Tennessee, Arizona, California, and Oregon to promote no emission transport and the building of infrastructure needed by EVs.

According to the scoop in Autocar, the French electric vehicles will include an electric version of the Kangoo MPV, a new electric car patterned after the Megane sedan, and a new smaller 5-seater model.

At present time, Renault has been testing the electric versions of Megane Sedan in Israel, the results of which will serve as the basis for the production of several more electric vehicles by the same company. The electric version of Megane will be released in the market sometime in 2011 while the Kangoo MPV electric car will follow shortly.

While the new Renault electric vehicles will emerge as compact city cars, it will not have the boring and nondescript designs like its counterparts in other brands. The French automaker is eager to make the new green cars models fun and youthful with a unique look and cool driving features.

Expect these three Renault electric cars to make waves in the global market by 2012. Renault is eager to finish and perfect its production in time for the 2012 Olympics in London, as the company is planning to use the new electric vehicles for transportation for both the athletes and spectators. Talk about the perfect advertising scheme!

As of today, eight of its vehicles in different categories have won the Euro NCAP’s crash test programme. In 2002, Megane II won 5 stars in its segment. In 2003, the Kangoo won 4 stars; Twingo won 3 stars while Escape IV, Laguna II and Scenic II won 5 stars in their segment. Escape IV was named the “safest car on the market”. In 2004, Modus and Megane CC won 5 stars while in 2005, Vel Satis and Clio also won the same titles in their segments. Vel Satis and Megane CC were named “Best in Class”.

Following the NCAP’s points-scoring system, Renault Laguna was judged to be the safest car in the family car segment with regard to adult occupants as well as child occupants. Renault Kangoo was named the safest car for child occupants in the MPV segment while the Renault Megane CC clinched the safest car title for adult occupants in Roadsters and cabriolets segment. Surveys have shown that road deaths could reduce by 40% if people chose the safest cars using the Euro NCAP results. The survey went on to reveal that nearly 700 lives could be saved in UK if all cars matched the features of Renault Laguna – the Euro NCAP test topper.

At 40mph, only Laguna allows the occupants to emerge largely uninjured. The front bags have the “smart” twin-level inflation front airbags. This helps to judge the severity of impact. A combination of eight airbags along with seat-belt pretensioners and seat-belt load limiters is used to reduce the impact on the passengers. The collapsible brake pedals and anti-submarining seats keep the occupants in place. It also features the ABS, Brake Assist and electronic tyre pressure monitoring.

Being ridiculed at first, its turbochargers became a rage at rallies across the world. Currently they have won both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando. The Driver team (Fernando) scored 103 points to top the list. Again in the Constructor Point Standing, Renault team scored the highest of 144 points.

If we go back to the results of Formula One since 1960’s, the first time Renault won this title in 1992 and then continued to win it in a row till 1997. At the French Grand Prix, the Renault Team enjoyed its first double-points scoring finish of the season. However, the team mates Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso finished seventh and eighth at the Magny Course.

For some time now, questions are being raised regarding Renault’s commitment to its Formula One Team. However, the company CEO Carlos Ghosn spelt out that they are here to stay for a long time. They don’t claim to stay here just to adhere to tradition but to show to the world how well their cars perform. So this year, the team Renault has chosen reliability to top speed and it seems the results are already visible. Renault’s Fernando Alonso looks set to clinch the world championship at Belgium outdoing even the McLaren’s who have the fastest cars of the season. The reports reveal that Renault drivers have quietly been finishing races with few, if any, technical problems.

It is only for time to decide who deserves to win – the fastest (read McLarens’) or the most consistent (read Renault)?