Renault to have a "range of electrics" in 2010; Nissan-NEC JV working on li-ion batteries

Renault and Nissan are ready to leap head-first into making electric vehicles for the many. At the very least, Renault/Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, is willing to make some Lutzian-style statements. I suppose, following this weekend's public EV demonstration in Israel, it gets easier to promise that the companies would launch "a range of electric cars" in the U.S in 2010 (Europe's time will come in 2011). We've been expecting at least one EV from Renault or Nissan to be brought to market somewhere around that time frame, but a whole range in two years? That's ambitious. Not totally unexpected, but no less ambitious. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this. A range does need to start with at least one vehicle, right? In any case, Californians will get first crack at the Renault/Nissan EV, which Ghosn described as not "a Star Wars prototype. It will be a car for sale."

Renault has been making a lot of EV moves recently. A week ago, Ghosn said that Nissan will become a global leader in affordable electric vehicles, and we've of course been following Renault's emerging partnership with Project Better Place (see demonstration link, above). A less flashy but just as vital part of the puzzle will come from the Automotive Energy Supply Corp partnership between Nissan and NEC-JV, which will start mass producing li-ion automotive batteries next year. So, everything is moving in the right direction for Renault and Nissan; now if someone would just tell Ghosn that there's at least one person (me) who would be totally in favor of an electric car that looks like it belongs in Star Wars.

By autobloggreen

Renault's electric car debuts in Tel Aviv

It could be the quickest vehicles to go from concept to a public, drivable prototype in automotive history. As previewed, "Israelis got a first demonstration Sunday of the electric car that developers hope will revolutionize transportation in the country and serve as a pilot for the rest of the world," began the report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

A parking lot in Tel Aviv hosted the demonstration of the Project Better Place/Renault collaboration. Acceleration was said to be impressive and the silent drive familiar to proponents of electric vehicles was noted in the silver, normal looking sedan. The car is expected to have a range of 125 miles, more than sufficient for most drivers in a nation that's no more than 60 miles wide and 260 long. Haaretz reports that several hundred cars will begin appearing on Israel roads in 2009, with sales to begin in late 2010.

by autobloggreen

Renault Megane leaked in French mag

Autoblog: Renault has been hard at work on the replacement for the current Megane. Following the new Clio, which came out three years ago, the Megane is an important model for the French automaker, designed to face off against volume leaders like the Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit and Ford Focus. French magazine Auto Plus has managed to obtain some undisguised shots of the car, presumably obtained from a Renault employee in exchange for a case of wine, a carton of Gauloise and/or a joke about Americans.

As promised, the new Megane will be substantially more subdued in its styling than the love-it-or-hate-it current model, with its curved upright rear window. The front end borrows heavily from the new Laguna, hinting at a common design language for the company. There's certainly some similarity between the production version and the Megane Coupe Concept unveiled at the Geneva show this year. Although the production Megane will predictably be considerably more conservative than the show car, the three-door appears further differentiated from its five-door stablemate with more sporting lines. See for yourself in the scanned magazine pages in the gallery below. The car looks just about ready to hit the market, so a debut at Renault's home-turf Paris Auto Salon this fall would be a good bet.

Autoblog