Bruno Senna Drivers An F1 Car...One Handed!

Race car drivers are a funny bunch. In this video, we see Brazilian Formula 1 driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champ Ayrton Senna, Bruno Senna, behind the wheel of the new Renault R30 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. “Oh,” you say in your most jaded tone, “How interesting.” Well it is interesting, as Senna is driving this 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) single-handed while filming the action with a camera phone. Read more »

Renault Launches Special Edition Scenic to Celebrate 15 Years of its Compact MPV

Renault is marking the 15th anniversary of its first compact MPV model, the Scenic, with a new special edition version called Scenic 15th. Based on the Expression trim level, the Scenic 15th offers a package of additional equipment and discreet styling upgrades for both bodystyles, the 5-seat Scenic and the 7-seat Grand Scenic. Read more »

Sebastian Vettel Wins Exciting Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix

It has been some time since we last watched such an exciting Formula 1 race as the one held on Sunday at the Istanbul Park circuit. Even though the weather did not play any role and the winner's position was not threatened at any time, it was an eventful race. Behind Sebastian Vettel, who has won three out of four GP’s this year, anything was possible.

Mark Webber crossed the finish line in second place, with the Australian managing to overtake Ferrari's Alonso with seven laps to go, after the Spaniard held the second position for a large part of the race. Still, for Alonso and Ferrari, this is the best result so far this season.

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Report: Renault Captur to Spawn two Production Models within the next two Years

It seems Renault's funky Captur concept that premiered in Geneva won't remain just another design study, as the French automaker is planning to build two production models inspired by the small crossover, according company insiders quoted by Autocar. The first version will be a small five-door crossover similar in size to the Nissan Juke, with which it will share the platform. Read more »

Renault "Likes" Facebook at Amsterdam’s AutoRAI Trade Show

Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past seven years knows what Facebook is. It’s the world’s most popular social networking site, with over 600 million users and there’s even a movie (I haven’t seen) with Michael Cera Jesse Eisenberg. So it’s no wonder the world’s automakers are jumping on this bandwagon faster than the Spanish Flu decimated early 20th century Europe.

At the recent 2011 AutoRAI Trade Show in Amsterdam, visitors to Renault’s stand could use Smart Cards encoded with their username and password to “Like” particular cars, read what other people were saying about them on Facebook and take and upload photos. It’s a neat little setup, and practically the definition of, “free publicity”.

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Robert Kubica Discharged from Hospital, Still a Long Way Before F1 Return

Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica has left the Santa Corona hospital in Italy where he had spent the last 11 weeks after a scary rally accident. According to a hospital statement, the Polish driver is in good condition and will soon begin rehab. “He will carry on being monitored by the Santa Corona doctors who had him in their care through scheduled appointments," the hospital said in a press statement. Read more »

Diesel-only Renault Laguna Coupe Monaco GP Launched in France

Revealed for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show along with the similarly trimmed Megane, the second iteration of the Renault Laguna Coupe Monaco GP special edition is now available for order in France. Renault took the decision to build a second run of the Monaco GP to satisfy customer demand after all 400 units of the previous version were quickly sold out.

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VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix

It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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Patrick Pélata Resigns as Renault's COO in the Wake of EV Spy Scandal…but Remains at the Company

The botched espionage affair that rocked French carmaker Renault the past few months is once again in the headlines. Renault's Chief Operating Officer once again handed his resignation to the CEO Carlos Ghosn, but this time the group’s boss accepted it.

The move comes after the completion of two audits on Renault's wrongful handling of the affair, which resulted in three executives being fired without justification. “The audits evidenced the chain of failings and dysfunctions within the company, particularly as regards the supervision and control of the Group Security Department,” reads Renault's press release.

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Dacia Releases Limited Edition Duster for Skiing Instructors

Renault’s low-cost Romanian brand Dacia has released the first limited edition version of its new small SUV model, called the Duster École de Ski Français [ESF], which translates to French Skiing School. Event though parent company Renault has not offered details about how many units of this series Dacia will produce, the Duster special could become one of the rarest sights on French streets since it can only be bought by ESF skiing instructors.

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Renault-Samsung Shows SM7 Pre-Production Concept

After last month's teaser sketch, Renault's Korean subsidiary Samsung unveiled the SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show. In essence, it’s a pre-production design study that previews the next generation of Renault Samsung's flagship model, the SM7.

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Sebastian Vettel Takes Dominant Australian Grand Prix Win

Sebastian Vettel won the inagural race of the 2011 F1 season after a dominating performance in Melbourne. The German driver made full use of his pole-position and lead the race from start to finish, taking his 11th Formula 1 win. Vettel adopted a two-stop pit strategy and finished with a 22.2-second advantage over second ranked Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), who had to race with a detached floor after running wide on lap 33.

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Renault Samsung SM7 Concept Teased ahead of Seoul Motor Show

Renault's South Korean brand Samsung released a teaser sketch of the SM7 concept car that previews the next-generation of the firm’s large sedan. The current SM7, which is built on Nissan’s J31 platform that underpins the Asian market Nissan Teana and the sixth-generation of the North American Nissan Maxima, has been on the market since 2004. Read more »

Renault Rolls Out 1000th Clio Gordini RS

The Renault Alpine plant in Dieppe produced the 1,000th Clio Gordini RS model this month, less than a year after its introduction. Built since May 2010, the Clio Gordini RS is sold in 18 countries, most of them in Europe.

Renault revived the Gordini name at the end of 2009, when it presented the Twingo Gordini RS. Other members of the Gordini family include the Twingo Gordini and more recently, the Wind Gordini, which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

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Dacia Produces its 4,000,000th Vehicle after 45 Years

Renault's Dacia brand produced its 4,000,000th car at the Mioveni plant in Romania, 45 years after the company’s foundation in 1966. The car with which Dacia achieved the milestone is a 4WD Duster Laureate in a brown finish powered by an 110HP 1.5-liter diesel engine.

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Ghosn and Pelata Give Up Their 2010 Bonuses and 2011 Stock Profits to Restore Renault's Image after Spy Fiasco

This could be the final episode in the Renault EV espionage case: after a meeting held on Monday, CEO Carlos Ghosn presented the board with an action plan that includes the reinstatement and/or compensation of the three sacked executives and the intention to restore Renault's image and public confidence in the company and its management. Read more »

Renault Admits Wrongdoing in Spy Case, Issues Apologies to the Three Ousted Officials

Today's episode on the Renault EV espionage case is one of the most interesting yet, with CEO Carlos Ghosn and COO Patrick Pelata issuing their official apologies to the three executives accused of spying.

Renault’s admission of wrongdoing comes after a communication with the French prosecutors, who found no substance in the complaint filed by the automaker against its former employees. Authorities from Liechtenstein and Switzerland confirmed that Michel Balthazard, Bertrand Rochette and Matthieu Tenenbaum had no bank accounts in the respective countries, thus refuting Renault's claim.

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Fired Renault Executive Asks French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Intervene in Spy Case

Each day brings something new in Renault’s EV-related espionage affair. This time Bertrand Rochette, one of the three employees fired by the company, has appealed directly to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene in the case. More specifically, Rochette's lawyers have called on Sarkozy and Justice Minister Michel Mercier to demand they be given access to the legal complaint Renault filed in January against unknown persons. Read more »

Renault Spy Saga Continues, French Company Paid €250,000 for the Tip

The Renault espionage case is as close as it gets to an automotive “Watergate”. The scandal, which resulted in Renault firing and filing a complaint against three of its top executives for allegedly stealing documents related to the company's EV program, continues to make waves in France.

As it turns out, Renault has started to back down on the accusations, acknowledging the fact that it may have been misled to point the finger on the three executives. In a newspaper interview quoted by the Automotive News, Renault's chief operating officer Patrick Pelata said the company is considering two scenarios.

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Renault to Launch All-Electric Twingo in 2014, Zoe Z.E. Coming in 2012

Renault will add a new Twingo to its Z.E. range of electric vehicles in the second half of 2014, according to Jacques Bousquet, head of Renault Italy. The French automaker’s official said the Twingo Z.E. will be the company's fifth EV, after the Kangoo, Fluence, Twizy and Zoe.

The executive revealed that Renault’s alliance with Daimler AG helped speed up the development of the next-generation Twingo-based Z.E. model, as the Twingo's new platform will be shared with a future four-seat Smart car.

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