Raunchy Lesbian Ad for Renault Twingo Banned in Italy

What woman wouldn’t falsely seduce another to steal her shirt? No, this isn’t another one of my sexist rants: it’s a (legitimate?) question posed by a Renault ad that has been banned in Italy.

The ad features two women – who I’ll refer to as the blonde and the brunette – who sneak off together for some hanky-panky bedroom fun. The brunette undresses; the blonde blindfolds her and steals her pink top, later comparing it to the color of her Renault Twingo Miss Sixty.

The ad was created by the Milanese arm of French advertising firm Publicis, which Renault had used before to great effect with the highly popular Papa et Nicole ads of the 1990s for the Renault Clio I. However, this latest ad has not gone down well in Italy, with TV RAI (essentially Italy’s BBC) and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset organization refusing to air it. It has also outraged the nation’s gay-lesbian groups which claim it is offensive to homosexual women.

Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera asks:

“Is it controversial or cutting edge? One thing for certain though at no point during the advert is any technical aspect of the new Renault Twingo ever mentioned.”

Can’t you be both controversial and cutting edge? Lady Gaga (sort of) falls into this category, doesn’t she? *Is pelted with rotten tomatoes* Okay, okay; and let us never speak of her again.

Publicis spokeperson Daniele Tranchini defends the controversial ad:

“We wanted to create an advert that was original, enjoyable and at the same time not vulgar and I believe we have achieved that. What is clever is that you think the advert is going one way but in the end it goes another - its great don't you think?”

For the time being, the ad is only being aired on Sky and has not be shown outside of Italy. Thanks to YouTube, you – our loyal readers – can see the ad for yourselves and render your verdict in the comment’s section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Dailymail & USA Today

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Automotive Flops: Renault’s Quirky 2001 Avantime Coupe-MPV

The automotive industry has seen many flops during its century-long existence, most of them due to poor thinking and execution. Every once in a while, though, some truly innovative vehicles receive the axe simply because they were ahead of their time.

Renault’s Avantime is one such an example. Built in cooperation with Matra, the coupe-MPV was unlike anything else on the road when it was launched in 2001. Unfortunately, buyers weren’t ready to embrace such a radical vehicle. Ironically, a decade later, oddities like the BMW X6 and Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet are on the verge of becoming trendsetters.

The Avantime’s history dates back to the early 1990s, when Philippe Guédon, head of automotive division at Matra, noted an important change in the customer base of the Espace.

He believed that children of Espace owners remained loyal to the brand even after they grew up, but also wanted Renault to give them something new, with a stronger focus on driving pleasure. This how the CoupéSpace concept came to be, a design study that offered the van’s versatility, clad in a 2+2 coupe body.

A partnership between Renault and Matra was signed in 1998 and the Avantime name was adopted. The chassis came from the Matra-built Espace III, while design guru Patrick Le Quément was responsible for the body and interior.

The key word for the coupe-MPV was innovation. In hindsight, this was an understatement, as the French maker boldly went where no one has gone before. The name, which sounds like “ahead of time”, wasn’t just a cheap pun.

The Avantime featured a “one-box” setup, typical for an MPV, but eliminated the B-pillars to obtain the desired coupe look and had two enormous doors, for easy access. Much of the body was built using galvanized steel and polyester panels, while the upper structure was made from exposed aluminum. This lowered the center of gravity and improved rigidity, allowing engineers to fit the Avantime with a large sunroof.

Despite the very long doors, the Avantime could use a normal parking space without any trouble. It had a never before seen double parallel-opening system (dubbed “double-kinematic”), which minimized outswing.

Inside, the second row of seats was positioned higher, giving passengers a theater-like experience. The panoramic roof improved the sensation of space and, at a push of a button, it could be opened, together with all windows, for an “open air” mode.

The cabin featured four individual seats with incorporated seatbelts and clad in upscale leather. The interior design was minimalistic, but the materials and build quality was above average for the time.

Upon sale, the Avantime boasted a 3.0-liter V6 petrol engine, delivering 207 hp. Just like today, the large displacement scared away most European buyers and the smaller 2.0-liter petrol and 2.2-liter diesel powerplants were offered too late. Thus, Renault was simply unable to avoid the disaster that was shaping up.

In 2003, only two years into its lifecycle and with just 8,557 units sold, the futuristic Avantime was discontinued, in what was to become one of the biggest flops that the French maker had to endure.

However, the Avantime was not a bad car and it’s a prized item among collectors these days. A nice example sells for just £4,500 (€5,377 or US $7,127 at today’s exchange rates) on eBay UK, which is pocket change for such a unique car.

By Csaba Daradics

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Retour vers le futur: Renault's Amazing 800HP Espace F1 MPV Prototype

I don’t have children, but I bet school runs can become pretty boring. However, if parents could get their hands on a Renault Espace F1, I’m sure they'd sing to a different tune when they'd return back from school... Unveiled in 1995, this über-Espace was not your typical soccer-mom transporter. Created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the French MPV and Renault’s decade-long involvement in Formula 1, the concept was literally an F1 racer in disguise.

Power was sourced from the 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C single seater racecar. The 3.5-liter 40-valve V10 powerplant initially developed 700 hp, but engineers managed to squeeze another 100 ponies pushing output to 800 hp. As with the F1 car, the V10 was mounted in the center sending power to the rear wheels, through a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission.

Performance was simply mind-boggling: the Espace F1 could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds and 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.9 seconds. Top speed was pegged at 312 km/h or 194 mph.

Stopping power was equally impressive. Fitted with carbon-ceramic brakes, the special Espace could accelerate from 0 to 270 km/h (168 mph) and then brake to standstill in less than 600 meters (1,969 ft).

Is this the ultimate MPV or what? Check out the videos below to see it in action.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Renault / Youtube

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VIDEO: Vladimir Putin Drives a Renault Formula 1 Car

Former Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is doing his best to remain in the spotlight. After his country decided to back the Renault F1 team, by branding it with Lada advertisements, Mr. Putin was invited to drive the R30 Formula One racer at a special event held in St. Petersburg. Video after the break.

Wearing a helmet painted in his country's colors and with Russia written on the visor, Vladimir Putin is said to have reached speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), showing that he is a man of many talents.

The PM's interest towards the sport is also due to the fact that Russia's bid to hold an F1 event after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was successful as the deal was signed less than a month ago.

By Csaba Daradics

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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.

Renault Fluence Sedan

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Samsung SM3

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Renault Fluence Concept

Video: 2009 Renault Clio GT

The third-generation Renault Clio has received a subtle facelift for the 2009 MY. To be officially presented at the Geneva Show next month, the Clio features a redesigned front and rear-end while Renault also introduced a new sportier version of the supermini called GT which gets an aerodynamic bodykit and a stiffer suspension set-up. No word yet on what's hiding under the hood, but Renault did release this video of the Clio GT that includes driving and beauty shots. See it after the jump.

Video: Renault Megane R26.R Lapping the Nurburgring in 8’17’’

As if Renault wouldn’t follow suite with the rest of the “auto gang” that broke some sort of record at the Nurburgring race circuit… In the French carmaker’s case, the hardcore Megane R26.6 established a new lap record for a front-wheel-drive production car on the 'Ring with a time of 8m 17s. You can read all the details by clicking here and see our image gallery of 30 high-res photos here. But before you do that, follow the jump to check out the video of the R26.R hammering the ‘Ring. -Continued

Video: Renault Megane Coupe Concept

The French carmaker’s star at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was without doubt, the new Megane Coupe Concept (details and pics here). The sleek 3door-coupe with the two-piece gullwing doors however is more than just a concept as Renault states that it previews a a production version that’s set to be released at a later date. Under the Megane Coupe Concept’s bonnet lies a 200 Hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine matted to a 6-speed manual gearbox. –Check out the video after the jump

Video: Renault Megane F1 Team R26 Advertisement

The Renault Megane F1 Team R26 is a supped up, limited edition version of the Megane Renault Sport equipped with an enhanced 230hp 2.0 turbo engine, more powerful Brembo brakes, new tires and alloys, updated chassis with new settings and a limited slip differential. In this ad, Renault attempts to highlight the differences between the F1 Team R26 and the standard Megane RS by showing all the new components flying around in "Star Wars-style" at its factory before ending up on the new hot hatch. –Check out the video after the jump

Thanks for the tip Kique!

Video: 2009 Renault Twingo RS

Here’s the first official video of Renault’s all-new 2009 Twingo RS (RenaultSport) that’s set to make its public debut at the forthcoming Geneva Show in early March. The video gives us the first view of the Twingo RS’ interior that gets RenaultSport bucket seats, a sport steering wheel, and different instruments.

Powered by a 1.6-liter engine that pumps out 131 HP, the Twingo’s evil brother features an aggressive bodykit with wider wheel arches housing new alloy wheels, restyled bumpers and a roof spoiler. Sales are set to start in Europe this spring. –Video after the jump

Renault's Synchronized Crash Commercial

To reflect on its five star European crash test scores, Renault decided to create a commercial which boasts elegance and sophistication while crashing its cars. (And does so nicely might I add.) The cars take on a life of their own in a synchronized ballet of side, rear and mid-air crashes. The European auto ads never seize to amaze me. Via: Motorpasion

Posted by Daniella

Renault’s Smoke & Sex Ad

Sex sells! So Renault is using most of people’s 2 favorite activities to sell the 7 passenger Renault Grand Scenic: Sex and Smoking. As our friends over at Jalopnik said, this commercial would never fly in the U.S. I mean come on, they banned the TV ad with Paris Hilton eating a cheeseburger and washing a car. Put it this way, the Renault commercial does not appeal to the soccer moms. Unless you’re planning on having an orgy, we wouldn’t recommend this Grand Scenic. It’s too Windstarish!

Posted by Dani

Via: Jalopnik