Renault announced an aviation-inspired name for its upcoming coupe-SUV set to debut on June 18. The Renault Rafale will be the sexier sibling of the Austral and the Espace, featuring distinct styling and being powered by E-Tech hybrid powertrains. The French automaker chose a new name for the SUV instead of going for the rumored Austral Coupe or reviving the Avantime moniker. Most people recognize the Rafale as Dassault’s multirole fighter jet, but Renault had used it a long time ago. In fact, the C460 single-seater racing plane that was introduced back in 1934 by the aviation company Caudron ..read more

This story contains independent illustrations that are neither related to nor endorsed by Renault. Renault already has the Austral and the Espace covering the compact and midsize SUV segments in Europe, but there is another mechanically related model on the horizon. The Austral Coupe – or Avantime – is set to arrive in 2024 adding sexier styling into the mix while sharing the electrified underpinnings of its siblings. Rumors about a compact coupe-SUV by Renault were circulating the web for a long time, but camouflaged prototypes only made their spy debut in April 2023. Those photos proved tha ..read more

Alpine has pulled the covers off its all-new all-electric show car called the A290_B (pronounced Beta). This zippy new hot hatch offers a quick glimpse into Alpine’s venture into the world of mainstream electric cars, with a production model set to follow in 2024. The naming of the A290_β was based on Alpine’s new global naming strategy. The A and three numbers signify the brand, with 2 indicating the B-segment and 90 foreshadowing the upcoming Lifestyle range. The use of the Greek letter beta marks the vehicle’s intermediate phase before its official launch next year. More: Renault’s Alpine ..read more

Alpine isn’t Renault’s only recent attempt to beat Lotus at its own game. In 1996, it introduced the Renault Sport Spider, a topless, mid-engine sports designed to be as light and as fun as possible. And now you can own one of these rare French sports cars. For sale in Florida, this example from 1998 is one of only around 1,800 to have ever left the factory. Equipped with a massive roll hoop and even a windshield (something not all Spiders had), this example has just 1,700 miles (2,736 km) on the odometer. Although it’s powered by a 2.0-liter inline four that makes just 148 hp (110 kW/150 PS ..read more

Renault understands and appreciates the threat posed by Tesla and has announced it is working on a new software architecture that will be on par with the current EV leader. During a recent presentation in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Renault revealed that its Ampere EV unit will use a new “software-defined vehicle” design that is co-developed with Google and Qualcomm. This new architecture will operate with just 20 processors compared to the 100 that Renault currently uses. In addition, the architecture will allow for over-the-air software updates. “This is similar with Tesla, in 2026 they a ..read more

Renault has acknowledged that it is taking a close look at its EV pricing in an effort to stay competitive with Tesla. Tesla has made multiple price cuts in key markets throughout 2023, most recently announcing price reductions in Germany, France, Singapore, and Israel. Speaking with reporters earlier this week, Renault Brand chief executive Fabrice Cambolive noted that sales of the all-electric Megane E-Tech are strong but said the carmaker does need to closely analyze prices. “We will analyze country by country, market by market, which level of competitiveness we need to have to stay in the ..read more

Small cars were once the lifeblood of the European car industry, but they’re in danger of disappearing from the continent’s roads. Ford has already killed off the Fiesta and Volkswagen is dropping hints about dropping the Polo when Euro 7 emissions regs kick in. But Renault, a company that’s probably more closely associated with subcompacts, or superminis as they’re known in Europe, than anyone else has just refreshed its Clio so it can continue to snare buyers who haven’t yet been seduced by the idea of a small crossover. There aren’t any great engineering changes to mention, but the front e ..read more

Renault is hard at work developing a facelifted version of the Captur and our spy photographers recently snapped a camouflaged test car on public roads. While the Captur is not sold in the United States, there’s still plenty to get excited about with this new model. We had the opportunity to test the current Renault Captur in Australia in the middle of last year and were left very impressed with what we found. Indeed, we think it is one of the best SUVs in its segment and despite being underappreciated by many, has a lot going for it. The facelifted model should be even better. Driven: 2022 R ..read more

With the new Renault Espace being a longer version of the Austral, and the Scenic making a return next year as a fully electric SUV, there is only one minivan nameplate that remains untouched – the Avantime. A candidate for that name could be the pictured coupe SUV prototype that was caught testing in Europe by our spy photographers For those not familiar with Renault’s history, the Avantime was an unconventional two-door minivan grand tourer with frameless doors and the characteristic “eyebrow” intakes above the headlights. Only 8,557 units were produced between 2001 and 2003 making it a com ..read more

Four years have passed since Renault introduced the fifth-generation Clio at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, and the word from France is that a facelifted model will hit our screens later this month, and Europe’s streets soon after. We’ve already had a sneaky peek at the finished result thanks to spy video that emerged in February showing the updated car being filmed for promotional material alongside a camera car in Turkey. But these are the first shots we’ve seen of a prototype being tested by Renault’s R&D team on real roads. The camouflage around the nose hides boomerang-shaped DRLs that ..read more