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| RENAULT HANDICAPS ITSELF WITH VISUALLY-CHALLENGED NEW MEGANE |
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| If first impressions are important, Renault is in big trouble already with its new Megane II, due to be launched in October. Renault almost admits there is going to be a problem with public acceptance of the new design, describing it as a “brave new shape”. The front of the car looks smart enough. But from the side and back the views are eyebrow-raising to say the least. The rear end is clearly borrowed from the new Avantime, Renault’s three-door car based on the Espace multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). The styling of the Avantime was described by one industry expert as “certainly a folly, and secondly a hideous creature". Renault calls this a dynamic and stylish silhouette, standing out as a distinctive product in a segment of mainly look-alike cars. First photographs indeed show how the new car will stand out in a crowd, but for all the wrong reasons. The incongruous rear of the Megane seems to bear no relationship at all with the rest of car. The appearance is downright ugly, and means that Renault will have to show that the car is superior in every other way to beat the competition, led by VW’s Golf. Patrick le Quement, senior vice president of Renault Corporate Design, begs to differ. “The understated dimensions of the boot, the subtle yet clearly affirmed shoulders, the rounded, flush-fitting wheel arches, all these come together to form a compact whole that smacks of agility and control,” says design perpetrator le Quement. And Renault must hope that he is right because the company has big ambitions for the Megane II. MARKET SHARE TARGET 14 PER CENT Renault says it aims to raise its market share in the all-important small family car, or C segment, to 14 per cent from 11.5 per cent in 2001. The C segment accounted for almost 5 million sales in 2001, or 32.9 per cent of the total European market. Renault plans to produce 780,000 Meganes a year, up from about 710,000 a year of the previous model. Renault spent 2.1 billion euros developing Megane II, and the various manifestations will account for around 30 per cent of production. The Megane Scenic, the compact minivan version with 5 or 7 seats, goes on sale in March 2003. Renault’s alliance partner Nissan will also use Megane platform to build Almeras, Tinos, Sunnys, Sentras and Bluebirds. This platform will account for 25 per cent of all alliance production, or 1.8 million vehicles a year, by 2006. Renault has pulled out all the high-technology safety stops with the new Megane II, which will include understeer control, adaptive headlight beam height control, and the latest safety and passenger restraint systems with anti-submarining airbags. “In addition to ABS (brakes), Emergency Brake Assist and the tyre pressure monitoring system, Megane II is the first model to use the new-generation electronic stability programme (ESP) incorporating understeer control (CSV). In addition xenon headlamp units feature an all-new adaptive beam height control.” There will be three petrol - 1.4 litre 16v 95 bhp, 1.6 litre 16v 115 bhp, and 2.0 litre 136 bhp – and two diesel engines – 1.5 litre 80 bhp, and 1.9 120 bhp – at launch. The first two new Meganes on the market in October will be the Sport Hatch and Hatch – 3 and 5 door models. The Megane II has new front and rear suspension, a “panoramic” sunroof and double floor. A plastic card means hands-free entry and start-up. Renault said the Megane II was designed in record time – just 29 months. Maybe that leaves just enough time to fix that awful rear end before the car reaches the showrooms. Neil Winton July 10, 2002
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