adoreble fashionable: Renault Megane

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New Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet Teased

Renault today revealed the first teaser photograph of its new Megane Coupe-Cabriolet model that will break cover at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2, 2010 The only piece of information released by the French automaker is that the new Megane CC will keep its predecessor's foldaway glass top.

>The shady picture doesn't tell us much about the four-seater convertible's looks but expect to see similar styling cues to the rest of the new Megane's range.

here won't be any surprises under the hood as the engine lineup will be carried over from the hatchback and coupe models including the 1.6-liter 110HP, 2.0-liter 140hp and the turbocharged TCe 180HP petrol units.

The new CC, which will join the Megane hatchback, coupe and Sport Tourer models, will compete against other C-Segment hardtop convertibles like the Ford Focus CC and Volkswagen Eos.

Renault to Revive Gordini Badge on its RS Hot Hatches

If you thought Renault's naming system for its sporty hatches was already ridiculous with the RenaultSport (...and horsepower) moniker wait until the French firm launches a new line of models that will revive the Gordini nameplate. See, instead of replacing the RenaultSport name, the Gordini badge will be used on more premium and chic versions of the automaker's hot hatches that will benefit from specific cosmetic and equipment upgrades - but not from any kind of mechanical tweaks.

And that despite the fact that the iconic nameplate was once used on the Renault 8 Gordini rally car of the mid 1960s which later on gave birth to a 1300cc version for the Gordini Cup one-make race series.

The first product of the Gordini brand that is set to be unveiled on 25 November at L'Atelier Renault on the Champs Elysées in Paris, is the Renault Twingo Gordini RenaultSport which will be based on the Renault Twingo RenaultSport 133 - yes, we could have just said Twingo RS 133 but where's the fun in that?

The Gordini-badged Twingo is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in Spring of 2010 and will be followed by similar versions of the Clio RS 200 and Megane RS 250 hot hatches.

Renault did not disclose any specific details on the Gordini models but it's safe to assume that the cars will feature the brand's traditional light-blue exterior finish with twin white racing stripes.

New VW Golf and Ford Fiesta Lead European Market in 3Q of 2009, Defy Crisis with Increased Sales

Helped by their popularity in national scrappage schemes, the latest generation VW Golf and Ford Fiesta models are leading the way in the European sales chart boasting a 21.3% and 40.2% increase in sales respectively in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2008, according to data released by Jato Dynamics.

The Golf VI, which is the market leader, recorded sales of 59,552 units in September representing a 56% increase over the 2008. VW's Polo and Passat models didn't fare as well in the month and are down YtD (Year to Date - January to September) by 3.3% and 15.8% respectively.

Ford's new Fiesta that will soon be available in the States found 51,291 new owners in September, 63.9% more than a year ago and over 12,000 more new registrations than the third-placed Opel/ Vauxhall Corsa that was up 17.1% in September but down 6.8% YtD.

Fiat's best selling models, the Punto supermini and the Panda mini enjoyed another jaunty sales period, with both cars featured in the top ten list. The Punto recording a 66.2% rise in sales for the month (+10.1% YtD) while the Panda was up by 14.4% in September (+30.6% YtD).

Finally, Renault's new Megane rounded off the top ten list in September with a whopping 90.4% increase in sales over the same month last year (+29.0% YtD).

As for brand performance, Volkswagen continues to hold on to first place with 1,241,755 sales YtD (+3.7%). In September, the German automaker sold 155,770 new cars in Europe which represents a significant increase of 16.3%.

In second place we find Ford that saw a healthy 3.7% YtD sales rise (+18.0% in September). The only other car manufacturer in the top ten list to record an increase in YtD sales is Fiat (+2.5%).

Overall, the European car market was up 7.5 per cent in September (1,379,610 units sold) compared to last year (1,283,537 units), but 5.7 per cent down in YtD sales ( 10,857,605 vs 11,517,910 cars )

Data: Jato Dynamics

VIDEO: Renault's F1 Pilot Romain Grosjean Hot-Laps the 'Ring in 2010 Megane RenaultSport 250

We know that many of you -well, at least those living on the other side of the pond- are quite excited about Renault's new 2010 Megane RenaultSport 250, so we got hold of this freshly released video that shows the French automaker's F1 pilot, Romain Grosjean, driving the car at the Nurburgring circuit. Building on the company's growing presence in the hot-hatch market, the Megane RS features a 250HP 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with power being delivered to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Watch the RS at the Green Hell after the break.

Renault Announces UK Pricing for Hardcore Megane RenaultSport 250 and RS 250 CUP

Renault's UK division has revealed pricing for its hottest-ever RenaultSport Megane hatch. Offered in two versions, the more hardcore 250 Cup at £21,995 and the 250 with more equipment at £22,995, the new car will be available for order on 1st November with first deliveries set to take place in January, 2010. Both variants of the Megane RS (that's short for RenaultSport) are fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 250HP at 5,500 rpm and 340Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm.

The engine drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, with Renault claiming a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of 6.1 seconds and the 1,000-metre standing start said to be covered in 25.7 seconds.

The 250 Cup's standard equipment includes cruise control, eight airbags, RAID automatic door locking, Brembo brakes, ESP system, Renault keycard, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, 60W RDS MP3-compatible CD player with fingertip control, Bluetooth and RCA connection, ISOFIX child seat mountings, rear parking sensors and the Cup Suspension Pack.

The latter adds a limited slip differential, stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bar, grooved discs, red finish to the Brembo brake calipers, 235/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres and 'AX-L' 18" x 8.25" alloy wheels in satin black.

The less-compromised Megane Renaultsport 250 features more luxury amenities such as leather upholstery, heated front seats, electrically adjustable driver's seat with memory function, Renault Hands Free card, dual-zone climate control, automatic operation of the lights and wipers, 18" 'Keza' alloy wheels with 225/40 Dunlop Sport Maxx TT tyres, extra tinted tailgate and rear side windows, tire pressure monitor and Multi-functional TunePoint.

Renault also offers the Cup Suspension Pack as an option combined with Recaro front seats for the 250 at £1,950.

Renault Fluence: New Compact Sedan for Russia, Turkey and Romania, and perhaps the US as a Saturn

Remember Renault's 2004 Fluence concept car that inspired the styling of the Laguna Coupe? Well, the only common denominator between the sexy prototype (see pics below) and this compact-sized sedan is their name... Virtually a rebadged version of the Korean market Samsung SM3 that was revealed earlier this year, the Fluence is the sedan variant of the Megane and it will be initially sold only in Russia, Romania and Turkey.

There's also a chance that we may see Renault's VW Jetta-sized sedan heading towards the States as a Saturn if the American brand's new owner, Penske Automotive Group, closes a proposed deal with the French automaker.

Depending on the market, buyers will have a choice of two gasoline engines, a 110HP 1.6-liter unit linked to either a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission and a 140HP 2.0-liter matted to a CVT, plus a 1.5-lited dCi diesel with outputs of 85HP, 90HP (DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter), 105HP and 110HP (DPF). All diesel engines are coupled to a manual gearbox, with the most powerful version also offered with Renault's new dual-clutch transmission.

In 2011, Renault will also introduce an electric version of the Fluence with more details expected to be released closer to the launch date.

The 4,62 metres long four-door saloon that boasts a luggage capacity of 530 liters will be built at Renault's plant in Bursa, Turkey, on the same assembly line that manufactured the outgoing Megane II sedan.