Nice New Renaults

The current financial meltdown has been tough for practically every niche of the economy, but car companies have been particularly slammed. Renault is the latest company in the news and questions are being raised about its Formula One effort.

Renault is a French car company that is the equivalent of GM in the United States. Unfortunately, its current economic condition is about the same as well. The company just reported over a billion dollars in losses for the last half of 2008. Renault’s market is much smaller than most car companies, so these are devastating numbers.

Things are so bad for Renault and other French car companies that the French government has had to step in to help. It is providing the company a 3 billion Euro loan. It is also providing the financing arm of Renault with another billion to try to make ends meet while the current contraction takes place.

Given the current financial situation for Renault, rumors abound regarding whether the company will continue to fund its Formula One team. Renault has always been a bit ambivalent about its investment. One needs only look back to when Fernando Alonso left the team for McLaren Mercedes. The primary reason was it was unclear how committed Renault was to continuing the team. With money tight, a pull out may be inevitable.

Will we see Renault continue to field a team in Formula One? The clear answer is yes for the start of the 2009 season. If the economic hurricane sweeping the globe does not stop, it is hard to see the company continuing the team through the full season. If nothing else, taking billion dollar loans from the government is going to make it difficult to do so with taxpayers not particularly interested in going racing!

Renault is not the only team facing financial issues. Even with the cutbacks in budgets, it is important to realize many of the teams are like ducks. They look calm above the water line, but their feet are thrashing about below it. Mercedes and BMW are heavily reliant upon the US market for revenues.. If sales nose dive [and they are], one could see those teams in trouble. Toyota certainly has to be looking at its team. Has any company spent so much money for so few results?

The 2009 Formula One season is shaping up to be incredibly interesting. How will the new cars perform? Who will win the championships? Who will be left standing at the end of the season – literally.

Lemmy Gibson

This history of the Renault is as vast as that of many vehicle makers. Renault is a French auto maker that has achieved substantial success throughout the years. They make all types of vehicles from cars to vans and even buses and tractors. Right now it is the fourth largest auto maker in the world due in part to their serious affiliation with Nissan. They also own the Romanian Dacia as well as the Korean Samsung Motors. One of the most popular vehicles known by Renault is the Renault Clio.

Louis Renault is the founder of the Renault auto maker. He worked with his brothers and friends as his partners as he launched the start of this business in 1898. They split their duties between business management and product development and in no time at all they had started something successful. The very first car that they sold was purchased by a close friend of Louis’s father’s. They allowed him to take the little car for a test drive and he was so impressed with the way it moved and handled the road that he immediately bought it.

The Renault brothers decided to use racing as a publicity form for their vehicles. They participated in many motor races some of which were held in Switzerland. Louis and his brother Marcel both participated in the races. However, during one race in Paris Marcel was in an accident. He was killed. Louis Renault never did race again after that but the Renault cars were still used in races.

Renault continued to grow in success and even though cars were a luxury in the early 1900s, that didn’t stop their sales from doing considerably well. At one point their cheapest cars would cost as much as the average worker made in ten years. Despite this, they continued to make and sell cars as well as buses and other modes of transport. When the war began Renault even branched out to begin making military vehicles like tanks. Renault was honoured for this and had become the number one auto maker by the time the war came to an end.

Many things began to change in the economy after the war. Renault was doing very well but suddenly experienced some issues when it came to regular cars that everyone could afford. This was a market that they were not directly competitive in. It was also a market that was in high demand. Renault produced a line of cars that came in various sizes and engine power levels so that he had something to offer the consumer public.

When World War II began Nazi Germany put a stop to the auto maker’s production. Renault was arrested during the liberation of France and was most likely murdered. Though it was never proven, the coroner noted that his neck had been broken.

It was 1999 when the Renault Company signed a deal with Nissan. It is the very first agreement of its kind. This has helped to keep Renault the high powered company that it has been for more than one hundred years.

Enjoy your family and find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips and receive free quotes for auto insurance quotes online from respected insurance companies.

The improvement of Renault, the inventor of the “Wind” roadster this year, is considered an interesting step because it reflexes the tendency into the roadster market in the future. There are many fascinating features of Wind developed under the “Touch Design” concept, such as the elegantly designed appearance that reflexes lively and the inner decorated with fine quality materials which reflexes class.

Neat, clean appearance consists of 2 main lines which are the bottom and top lines. Although the headlights’ shapes are plain, they are a significant part that helps empower the overall. Transparent windshield stuffed with blue and green lights similar to plane’s light, which are such brilliant. The green smoothly blended with the light blue or aquamarine of the body part is the individual characteristic of Wind. Fabulous 19-inch wheels and “245-35ZR19” Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires are another remarkable complement.

The most outstanding of it is the 3-seat capacity which is cocoon-curve shaped, light brown leather seat embraces the passengers and the driver.

Frill-designed seats are permanently installed, as well as the steering wheel and console that are adjustable and automatically roll out when the doors are opened, and that helps the passenger enter the car more easily. The center section linked with the back seat which is made of carbon fiber. It is layered with foam and leather, which can flip inside out in order to make the third seat.

Although it is a compact roadster, Wind contains wide and useful space. The rear space has 232 liters in capacity. Wind’s dimension consists of 3870 millimeters in length, 1750 millimeters in width, excluding the side windows, 1260 millimeters in height, and 2395 millimeters in wheel’s base’s length, as well as the 850 kilograms in weight.. The back seat has extra thick car soft-top attached with the rear curve-shaped window for protecting the passengers from rain and sunlight.

All Wind’s controlling devices are made of aluminum, which reflexes the sport characteristic. They are designed to be in round shape installed in the center of console. They contain control button, communicative device, stereo, and navigation system.

6-speed robotized gearbox is designed to be with the dashboard, while the shift gear is put on the steering wheel like the Formular-1’s. There is one gauge-meter made of cylinder-shaped glass. It is used for indicating the round-per-minute speed which is displaying the numbers in both analog and digital.

Air conditioner’s controller is designed to put on the inner driver’s door. Its engine is a 16-valve 2.0liters, 136 horsepower maximum, and 191 Nm torque. It is considered a low-pollution engine which qualifies the Euro-4 polluting gas production regulation. From the Wind’s information, it implies the effort to market the small roadster which has the outstanding in designs in color, capacity, and clean burning energy that is quite energetic. Most of its designs are in the draft stage, so if Renault has a plan to import this production, they need at least 2 years in development.

With the misfortunes of America’s two largest automakers being trumpeted frequently on the news, it seems as if little attention is being paid to some of the other automakers out there. France’s Renault, once in poor shape itself, has rebounded nicely and is prospering with its relationship with Nissan, a company it has controlling interest in. Speculation is that Renault wants a greater piece of the luxury car market, even beyond Nissan’s luxury division, Infiniti. Would General Motors consider selling Saab to Renault or would the French automaker be better off looking elsewhere? Let’s take a look at some options for Renault.

Make a bid for Saab. It is no secret that the Swedish automaker hasn’t been much of a hit for General Motors. Unlike the other Swedish automaker Volvo, itself owned by Ford, Saab has produced little benefit for GM since being brought into the fold in 1990. A clash in management styles hasn’t helped with GM’s line management style going up against Saab’s egalitarian style. Although not exactly a luxury line, Saab could be upgraded and give Renault renewed access to the American market and much needed cash for GM.

Go after Jaguar. Much like Saab’s relationship with GM, Jaguar hasn’t done a lot for Ford. Unlike GM, however, Ford has handled its international acquisitions much better and has allowed its new holdings to continue to plan and expand their product lines without excessive dictation from Detroit. Still, the value of Jaguar remains strong and the time for Ford to sell this British automaker off would be now. Let’s just see how well the French and British work things out too!

Ramp up Infiniti. Even in expressing interest in acquiring another automaker, Renault does have its own “in house” luxury line in Infiniti. After a poor start, Infiniti has strengthened its product line and is better poised to compete against Lexus and Acura. A careful “retuning” of Infiniti could also yield a line of cars better suited to compete against BMW and Mercedes who essentially lead the luxury car market in the Europe. Working with the existing lnfiniti brand would be cost effective too.

Introduce a new luxury line. Much as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have introduced luxury lines of their own vehicles, Renault could do the same and profit immensely. With Hyundai expected to do the same, Renault’s new luxury division could give the automaker instant access to the luxury market and prepare the company for reentry into the U.S.

As much as General Motors and Ford are reeling right now, neither Saab nor Jaguar may be auctioned off. At present, both Swedish automakers have a significant cross division investment that cannot be easily disconnected. Planned vehicles in the Saab pipeline would have to be scuttled, which would effectively reduce the automaker’s value overnight.

Renault may still be eyeing Saab, but the logistics aren’t that easily worked out.

Copyright 2005 — Matt Keegan is a contributing writing for PitStop Auto Parts covering Saab parts; Covercraft Car Cover; and Brembo Brake Rotors; and other fine products.