Renault Megane Coupe Concept

A new production two-door from Renault is definitely slated for 2009.  Whether all of the design elements present in the concept pictured here are carried over into that car (including a full set of gullwing doors), is still being debated.

San Jose Plug-In Station

Beyond the actual manufacturing process, the largest hurdle for the widespread implementation of viable plug-in electric vehicles is the infrastructure needed to allow buyers to conveniently recharge their cars away from home. To satisfy that demand, construction of public charging stations in Israel, Germany, Britain and the U.S. are underway that will test the feasibility of such facilities and encourage motorists to purchase EVs.

Introduced yesterday at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil, the Renault Sand’up Concept SUV was designed by the French automaker specifically to cater to the needs of the average Latin American resident. Equal parts baja truck and and convertible coupe, the Renault Sand’up is based on the Sandero Stepway and is engineered to adapt flawlessly to both on and off-road terrain. Beneath the hood, the Sand’up is powered by a 112-hp, 1.6L engine capable of running on either standard gasoline or ethanol. Renault claims the Sand’up can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds, but with no firm plans guaranteeing the Sand’up will ever reach production, we’re just going to have to take their word for it.

Check out video of the Renault Sand’Up in action after the jump

Renault Megane Trophy Concept

From certain angles, the Megane Trophy Concept from Renault has a Nissan Z car-esque look about it.  Which is neither a bad thing or merely a coincidence.  (Remember “Le Car”) Maybe it’s a French tradition to borrow a bit of DNA from another automaker.  If you recall, Peugeot’s RC-Z concept bears an uncanny resemblance to the Audi TT.  At any rate, the Megane Trophy has adopted more than just a few of the Z car’s goodlooks.  Lurking under the retina burning yellow body is a high-revving V6 that would make any Z car owner think about a trade-in.

I hate to see penalties in a F1 race. It taints the whole thing. The race is ruined if it comes down to subtracting seconds at the end, luckily, even after 3 major penalties, this race ended in a fairly solid note. Fernando Alonso raced so perfectly that I don’t think anyone could have touched him.

Right off the bat, Lewis Hamilton got in a tangle with Raikkonen, then Massa, then got spun around, and eventually ended up at the pack of the pack AND got a penalty. At that point he was essentially out of the race. Then the other McLaren driver, Kovalainen, had a hydraulics failure, so almost immediately, both McLaren cars were assured 0 points.

Although last week Cerberus Capital Management LP, owner of 80.1% of Chrysler LLC, firmly stated that Chrysler is not for sale, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli revealed that both a Chinese automaker and Renault-Nissan had expressed interest in obtaining the ailing automaker. Hurting for the cash, the sale of Chrysler to either interested party would effectively put 1/3 of the Detroit 3 under foreign control. Perhaps uncomfortable with that prospect, rumors from Detroit have begun to circulate that GM and Chrysler are discussing the possibility of a merger - presumably under the assumption that in the event of an outside attack, there’s safety in numbers.

Of the speculations, GM spokesman Tony Cervone would only offer a vague explanation, stating, “Without referencing this specific rumor, as we’ve often said, GM officials regularly have conversations with other automakers about items of mutual benefit.” Chrysler exec Lori McTavish was even tighter lipped on the matter, saying simply, “[Chrysler] as a matter of policy does not confirm or disclose the nature of its private business meetings.”

On Sunday, Formula One Racing held its 800th race in Singapore with the Singapore Grand Prix. 20 drivers participated, completing a total of 61 laps on the 5 km long track [which is roughly equitable to 3.1 miles] with average speeds approaching 300 km/h [186 mph]. Finishing first in the race was Fernando Alonso of Renault, with a final time of 1:57:16.304.

Full gallery after the jump

In 2007, alleging industrial espionage, French automobile manufacturer Renault, filed a lawsuit against the European Publication, Auto Plus. The lawsuit was apparently a response to an article published in 2006 by Auto Spies which contained unreleased photos of the pre-production Renault Megane. On Tuesday, according to Automotive News Europe, French officials confiscated the publication materials and detained the journalist responsible for questioning.

The article causing the uproar:

I think Renault is suffering from illusions of grandeur, it’s not like Auto Plus leaked Ferrari blueprints. Come on now…