Scoop: Renault Warms Up Rear-Wheel Drive 2015 Twingo on the Snow

It's that time of the year that auto manufacturers send engineers to Sweden to trial future models under harsh winter conditions. Renault brought along the upcoming 2015 Twingo that marks an interesting departure from its two predecessors, partly thanks to a newly found collaboration with Daimler and Mercedes-Benz.

The two automotive groups are co-developing the successors to the Smart ForTwo / ForFour and Renault Twingo using a common platform with a rear-engine and rear-wheel drive layout, instead of the traditional front-engine and front-wheel drive solution seen on most modern city cars.

These spy shots outline the design story of the new Twingo that will carry over the Renault 5-inspired styling theme of the insane 320HP Twin'Run Concept in a more down-to-earth interpretation that does away with the sporting elements while adding two more doors to the recipe.

It has been reported that Renault doesn’t plan to offer a three-door body style, but this could change in the future.

There's very little information about the rear-mounted drivetrains, though, it is believed that both the Renault and Smart models will be offered with three-cylinder mills paired to manual or dual-clutch transmissions, and later on, with a pure electric drive.

Expect the new Twingo to make its premiere at the Paris motor show in October this year.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS

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Man Plays Racing Game on the Same Track He's Being Driven Around in Megane RS

This is a bit of an odd one. It seems that in the quest to see just how realistic modern racing games are (probably, as we found no other motivation for this experiment), it was decided that strapping a racing wheel, a 19-inch screen and a gaming console into position for the passenger of a Renault Megane RS was a good idea.

The plan was to have a pro racing driver race around a track, while the passenger would be playing a game, using the same road/car combination.

The result must have been a disorienting one for the virtual driver, who felt the forces of the car moving around the corners before or after he approached them on the screen.

However, what’s surprising is that it was neck and neck right until the end.

Scroll down and click play after the virtual jump, courtesy of Viagame.

By Andrei Nedelea

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Renault Introduces Clio Graphite Limited-Edition Models in France

Renault has announced the new Clio Graphite in France, the first limited edition model of its new generation B-segment car. Available to order for both the Clio hatchback and Estate, Graphite edition bring a number of grey interior and exterior trim details, as well as Renault’s R-Link multimedia tablet, offered as standard equipment.

Based on the Zen equipment level, the Graphite features subtle styling add-ons including grey side-protective moulding beading, grille and tailgate trim, gloss black side protective moldings, door mirror housings and rear skirt, extra-tinted glass on back and rear windows and grey diamond-effect 17-inch wheels.

On the inside, grey touches are applied to the steering wheel, gear lever surround and electric window switches, while the seats and door panels are upholstered in a black and grey patterned fabric.

Equipment-wise, the Clio Graphite features standard features including the R-Link multimedia tablet with a three-month subscription to the live services delivered by the standard HD Trafic and Coyote applications, as well as a six-month subscription to the Discovery Pack, which includes weather information, access to e-mails, R-Link Tweet and Renault Assistance.

On top of the Zen equipment level, Graphite brings one-touch electric front windows, electric rear windows and Cassiopée Grey interior trim.

The limited-edition model is available with any of the standard Clio’s four engines (Energy TCe 90, TCe 120 EDC, dCi 75 and Energy dCi 90), and marks the introduction of two new engine versions for the Clio family, the TCe 90 and dCi 90, both without Stop&Start.

Order books for the Renault Clio Graphite are already open in France, with prices starting from €17,100 ($23,300) for the Clio hatchback fitted with the TCe90 engine.

By Dan Mihalascu

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China's Qoros 3 Sedan Designated 2013’s Safest Car by Euro NCAP [w/Videos]

In September last year, the Qoros 3 Sedan became the first car made in China to get five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests. That was an impressive feat, but what’s even more impressive is that Euro NCAP has designated the Qoros 3 Sedan as the safest car it has tested last year (in that time frame, not in general), regardless of category.

The Qoros 3 Sedan scored the best result for Adult Occupant Protection in Euro NCAP’s 2013 program, while its safety passenger cell proved to be “extremely robust” in front-end, side impact and pole impact collisions. Obviously, the Chinese car was the safest of its category (Small Family), with six other cars being designated the safest in their class.

These cars are the Renault Zoe (Supermini), Lexus IS 300h (Large Family), Kia Carens/Ford Tourneo Connect (Small MPV), Jeep Cherokee (Small Off-Road 4x4) and Maserati Ghibli (Executive).

The Renault Zoe and Lexus IS 300h were at the same time the all-round performers of the electric/hybrid cars tested by Euro NCAP in 2013.

Euro NCAP updated its assessment of child occupant protection in 2013, giving credit to manufacturers that allow for easy installation of most popular types of child seats, which comply with the most recent revised child safety standards. Furthermore, the organization has started to test voluntary-set intelligent speed assistant systems as part of the rating.

By Dan Mihalascu

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