Automotive News Europe - January 5, 2009 - 5

January 5, 2009 www.autonewseurope.com · PAGE 5 You lookin’ at me? The Scirocco (above) and the Megane will battle for hearts and wallets. Dueling coupes will go head-to-head Renault, VW aim to revive a declining segment and steal sales from premium rivals with sporty new models Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe MADRID Europe’s dormant mass-market coupe segment could come to life as Renault launches its new Megane coupe against the Volkswagen Scirocco. VW launched the Scirocco in Germany and the UK in August, but held off on the remaining European markets until November. Renault launches the Megane coupe across Europe later this month. Renault and VW say that design and performance will be key factors as they seek top spot in the coupe segment, which also features the Peugeot 407 Coupe, Opel Astra GTC and Hyundai Coupe. “The Megane coupe is going to offer distinction, attractive design and performance at a major price advantage when compared with the Scirocco,” Sebastien Erphelin, Renault’s product manager for the Megane line, said during a press event here. Price a key battleground Renault’s entry-level gasoline-powered coupe will start at ¤20,300 in France. Diesel models will range from ¤21,500 to ¤26,200. The entry-level gasoline-powered VW Scirocco starts at ¤21,950 in France, while the diesel range goes from ¤26,100 to ¤30,450. Renault hopes the coupe will account for 20 percent of the Megane’s European sales. The carmaker would not give sales or production forecasts, but CSM Worldwide forecasts production of up to 35,000 Megane coupes during 2009. About 75 percent of Megane coupe production should be sold in Europe, according to CSM Worldwide. VW will build 28,000 Sciroccos a year. The Megane coupe is not simply a two-door version of the new Megane hatchback. Renault has given the coupe its own unique design with only the hood, front fenders and front lights shared with the hatchback model. The coupe replaces a less sporty looking three-door hatchback that accounted for just 10 percent of sales of the previous-generation Megane. European carmakers have seen a radical shift in the coupe segment over the past 10 years, as mass-market customers choose either softtop cabriolets or hardtop coupe cabriolets rather than traditional coupes. The small and lower-medium coupe segment represented sales of 125,107 in 1998, but declined to just 16,653 in 2007, according to market analyst Global Insight. At the same time, the non-premium small and lower-medium cabriolet segment jumped from 47,854 cars in 1998 to 203,047 cars in 2007, Global Insight said. Both Renault and VW think that their new product offerings will add some fresh appeal to the segment, which has become the domain of premium carmakers, who now sell more than 15 times as many coupes as volume carmakers. Last year the top-selling coupe in Europe was the BMW 3-series with 51,962 units sold. ANE Renault and Nissan launch all-new V-6 diesel High-performance unit will first power Laguna, eventually Infiniti models Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe CLEON, France Renault says its first V-6 diesel engine is a landmark achievement in its alliance with Nissan, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2009. “If this engine exists, it’s because of the alliance,” said Jacques Prost, Renault’s senior vice president powertrain engineering. Renault is equipping the upper-medium Laguna range with the 235hp 3.0-liter powerplant. The engine was jointly developed in a ¤180 million project with Nissan. Nissan split the engine’s development costs equally with Renault. The Japanese carmaker plans to use about 75 percent of all V-6 production, mainly in its Infiniti luxury brand in Europe. “Neither of us would have been able to do this engine alone, but together it was possible,” Prost said during a tour of the factory in Cleon, northern France, where the V-6 is built. Nissan is expected to invest up to ¤120 million to adapt the V-6 to use on its cars, including on the Infiniti range starting in 2010, said Renault’s project director Christian Demazure. Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has said Infiniti’s long-term future in the competitive European luxury sector will require a highperformance diesel engine. More than 90 percent of Europe’s premium SUVs have diesel engines, a market reality that has even forced Porsche to announce that it will equip its premium Cayenne SUV with an Audi-produced diesel starting next month. “Having this new V-6 diesel engine is a key part of the Infiniti launch in Europe,” said Malo Le Masson, Nissan’s European product strategy and advance planning manager. Nissan will also use the V-6 diesel – codenamed V9X – starting in 2010 on the Pathfind- Power sharing Four brands will use Renault-Nissan’s new V-6 diesel enginer Renault Laguna Nissan Pathfinder, Navara, Maxima Infiniti FX, EX, G37 Renault Samsung Upcoming large sedan er large SUV and the Navara pickup in Europe as well as on the Maxima large sedan in the US. Ramping up Renault is expected to put the engine in the large sedan replacement for its Vel Satis model, which sources say could be a rebadged large sedan now under development at its Korean subsidiary, Renault Samsung. Renault is experienced in producing diesels and its engineers did most of the design work on the V-6, which is designed from its 2.0-liter diesel engine. Nissan contributed its expertise in V-6 architecture. Michel Gornet, Renault’s head of manufacturing and logistics, said the Cleon factory was chosen to build the V-6 because of its location between Nissan’s Japanese and North American factories, as well because it is in the middle of Renault’s European manufacturing base. In 2007, the factory produced more than 740,000 engines and 783,000 transmissions for Renault, Nissan and other carmakers. It can produce up to 10,000 V-6 engines annually, plant manager Philippe Nottez said. In the current ramping-up period, small, 13worker teams are producing about 25 of the V6 engines per-week, Nottez said. With sales of the Laguna still running below projection, the engine could remain a niche product for Renault in 2009. Nottez said output should increase to about 100 engines per-week during the first half of 2009 but said production “will ANE largely depend on Laguna sales.”

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Automotive News Europe - January 5, 2009

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