Category: Blog
The Renault Clio Rally3 Is Almost Ready To Rally
Posted by Group1 Renault on 28 Dec 2022
If you’re a true petrolhead and a fan of rally racing, then buckle up and read on as Renault has unveiled the Clio Rally3, their latest and most advanced rally car yet!
Developing The Renault Clio Rally3
After extensive research and dedication, Renault has completed the final stage of development on the Clio Rally3 which represents the latest in motorsport engineering. Its robust, yet agile build quality is specially designed to tackle some of the toughest terrains and could rival the best of the best.
Unbeknownst to many, the Clio Rally3 is, in fact, the automaker’s first-ever four-wheel-drive rally car. The new Renault Clio Rally3 will be a welcomed addition to the world of rallying, bringing with it a combination of performance and agility that will make it a formidable competitor on any rally stage. Its powertrain is designed for maximum acceleration, while its lightweight chassis ensures superior handling capabilities.
Yann Paranthoën, the chief engineer of Renault Customer Racing, revealed that the design of the Clio Rally3 began in September 2021 but it wasn’t smooth sailing. They experienced some challenges in sourcing certain materials, such as aluminium and steel. Once they resolved the supply chain issues, testing began to measure reliability on rough surfaces which allowed Renault engineers to accurately assess the vehicle’s durability.
Testing The Renault Clio Rally3
Testing was conducted over 4500km on asphalt and gravel surfaces in France and Spain, with driving duties split between several drivers including this year’s Italian Rally champion Andrea Crugnola and Jean-Baptiste Franceschi. The official unveiling of the car will take place on January 15 at the Pas de la Casa Circuit in Andorra, and it will become available for competition shortly thereafter.
Paranthoën noted that the stress on the Clio Rally3 during its first test revealed several problems and cracks, but these were minor. They also worked on the dampers and different setups to improve the reliability and performance of the car despite already being in good shape before testing began.
The car was further improved with a sump guard and better gravel protection to accommodate for the differences between four-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive. Subsequent to the modifications, the upgraded version showed a marked improvement compared to the initial test vehicle earlier this year.
One of the main focal points in developing the Clio Rally3 was the rear wing, which was the brainchild of the Alpine Formula 1 team in Enstone. Since they had the new rear wing during the last three test sessions, the engine changed a few times in-between tests which required additional mapping.
“We tested at least 250 different maps between the first test and the last test so there’s a big difference in terms of mapping and therefore in terms of engine performance,” said Paranthoën.
Two Tough Contenders In Rally3
While M-Sport Poland’s Ford Fiesta has a proven track record in rallying and is the likely benchmark for any development, Paranthoën confirmed that Renault did not simply use the Fiesta as the base for creating the Clio and that they did their own development work.
It is difficult to compare the Clio and the Fiesta during the development process because there isn’t enough time to do a thorough comparison. It’s near-impossible to do several runs with both vehicles while focusing on developing the Clio Rally3.
Although details are limited, they did reveal that the Clio Rally3 has four cylinders as opposed to three which results in a glorious rumble from underneath the bonnet. There are also some tweaks to the chassis and bodywork which could make a difference in performance as well.
In closing, Paranthoën said: “I think, for me, for example on a Tarmac rally like Roma in ERC or something like this I think the Clio will be stronger. But on the rallies on gravel like Poland or Latvia, I think the fight will be nice to see because the Fiesta is really fast already on this kind of road and the Renault has to prove what she’s able to do.”
Final Thoughts
Rallying is one of the most exhilarating motorsport events in the world and with its combination of high speeds and technical driving, it’s no wonder millions of fans tune into races every year.
From the available information, 31 drivers tested the Clio Rally3 with 16 of those expressing an intention to buy the car while a further 14 were very interested. If all goes to plan, the Clio Rally3 will be homologated by the FIA in April 2023.
Yann Paranthoën expressed his confidence that the Clio Rally3 will be a best seller due to its good performance, reliability, and low running costs. The car has already been ordered by French teams Chazel and Fun Meca Sport, and Renault hopes to manufacture more than 30 cars in the coming year.
The Clio Rally3 won’t be eligible for Junior WRC but can compete in the WRC3 class, as well as Rally4 and Rally5 versions of the Clio already on offer.
The post The Renault Clio Rally3 Is Almost Ready To Rally appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
3D Generative NFTs Of The Renault 5 Released
Posted by Group1 Renault on 22 Dec 2022
Renault NFT collection to celebrate Renault 5 revival
Production lasted until 1996 over two generations, including the monstrous Turbo.
The Renault 5 was revived as an EV in 2021. It perfectly channelled the spirit and style of the original – but as a thoroughly modern car. With the new 5, Renault has revived a much-loved car without falling into the lame retro trap so common to revived models.
To celebrate the original Renault 5 and its revival, Renault has launched the genesis 5 NFT collection, consisting of 1972 generative 3D NFTs split into distinct rarity levels. The cars featured here are the R5 Electric, the Turbo, the La Car Van and the R5 TL.
The most exclusive in the collection is the “R5 Electric”, with only a hundred in circulation. These NFTs give their holders a chance to win raffles for car tests and trial experiences, as well as opportunities to interact with Renault designers, explore prototypes, and get a behind-the-scenes look at car production.
There are 160 “R5 Turbo ” NFTs, which entitle owners to free mints for Renault’s next drops, 450 R5 La Car Van tokens and 1,262 R5 TL tokens. Holders of the latter can enter lotteries for a VIP tour to Renault’s Atelier in Flint, plus a free exclusive party at the Retromobile Show.
Many readers will by now wonder what this actually is.
These NFTs are a major foray by Renault into the world that links the physical cars and the digital world. The digital world is rapidly becoming a major part of our lives, whether in work, personal life or leisure. How many times a day do you check your smartphone? Exactly. And this is interaction is increasing.
There are several digital concepts to unpack here.
Let’s start with the broad digital environment – the transition into Web 3.0. Web 1 was looking at pages, Web 2 was interacting like with Facebook and Twitter, and now Web 3, while still developing, is far more dynamic and decentralised, not limited to apps like Facebook. Renault has seriously embraced Web 3.0 in 2021, both in how their cars interact with the rest of the world and how the company engages you, their customers.
NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) is a way to own art in the digital age. There are billions of copies and digital images of the Mona Lisa, but only the owner of the real painting can sell it. So with digital. NFTs, because it is so new and misunderstood, were subjected to lots of chancers trying to sell any pics as NFTs, but once you cut through the clutter, properly created NFTs have real value and can be bought or sold and increase in value.
Renault created generative 3D NFTs, which means the same image can be ‘painted’ in many different ways and viewed and rotated in 3D.
Blockchain guarantees the integrity of your NFT. This is a technology that indelibly tracks the movement of both physical and digital objects. Blockchain only moves in one direction, so you cannot erase a movement or transaction once it has been recorded. It is used in logistics, manufacturing, and of course NFTs.
This is the tale of Renault’s foray into the digital future. You can keep up with this dynamic brand by following us on social media.
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Renault Delights Tech Enthusiasts With Groundbreaking Waze Integration
Posted by Group1 Renault on 20 Dec 2022
Renault+Waze integration
Good news, prospective Renault buyers! As one of the most innovative auto brands in the world, the team behind Groupe Renault has just become the first to incorporate Waze with its in-car multimedia systems. The first wave of Waze will initially be rolled out in European countries for Nouvel Austral and Mégane E-Tech electric customers whose vehicles are equipped with the OpenR screen and the OpenR Link interface, with integrated Google.
So, what’s the big deal? If you’ve never used it before, here’s the gist with regards to Waze. Powered and used by drivers all over the world, it’s a much-lauded real-time road assistant and community-driven navigation map app that uses real-time data from its users to provide the best route to the user’s destination.
In short, this social navigation tool for private cars allows drivers to skip routes with accidents, traffic jams, speed traps, construction and other hindrances that could slow them down. Drivers can also store a list of friends on the app so that they can keep track of each other on a trip, or spot a friend in the vicinity.
Now that Renault has integrated the application directly with the multimedia systems of select vehicles, drivers will enjoy the convenience and safety of having access to real-time traffic information, favourite routes and saved destinations on the eye-level screen without using their smartphone. Best of all – music and other vehicle features will remain accessible even when Waze is in use.
According to Jérôme Seror, Director of Digital Customer Experience at Renault, the decision to incorporate Waze is in line with their overarching strategy of offering customers an intuitive, immersive and connected driving experience. Aron Di Castro, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Waze, agreed that the partnership between the two companies was a seamless one.
In short, motorists who purchase the Nouvel Austral and Mégane E-Tech electric will now be able to enjoy the benefits of full integration with the popular live mapping app via a 12-inch vertical-screen infotainment system without relying on ongoing smartphone mirroring.
See, that’s how we like to do things – give motorists what they want, and pave the way for more satisfying driving experiences across the board. To learn more about the current Renault models we have on our showroom floors in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch, get in touch with Group1 Renault. Let’s get you behind the wheel of the vehicle made for living.
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Renault E-Tech Engineered Special Edition Comes To Life
Posted by Group1 Renault on 28 Jun 2022
Renault’s Kiger and Triber are among top cars in SA
With electric and hybrid vehicles growing in popularity across the globe, Renault has introduced the E-Tech-engineered special edition for the Clio, Captur, Arkana, and Megane electrified derivatives. Unsurprisingly, they’ve used design and style cues of the 100% electric Megane E-Tech for the new E-Tech-engineered special editions.
What Is The Renault E-Tech Engineered Special Edition?
E-Tech is the term for the innovative and exclusive technology of Renault which is protected by 150 patents. Renault relied on their immense expertise in electric vehicles and developed the system in collaboration with Renault F1 teams.
The E-Tech Hybrid drive system has a combustion engine, two electric engines, a battery and an automatic gearbox to create a more refined driving experience. As a result, the energy management of Renault’s hybrid cars is more efficient and intelligent which means extended range even in full electric mode.
E-Tech Engineered Special Edition Clio, Captur, Arkana and Megane
Renault’s E-Tech engineered special edition adds a modern feel to the four existing passenger vehicles already available in Europe and other international markets. The E-tech-engineered special edition benefits from all the impressive equipment that made the R.S. Line trim so popular but that’s not all. It also gets a new, high-end look with sporty colours and materials in accordance with current trends.
Starting with the exterior, the E-Tech engineered special edition design features Warm Titanium highlights on parts. This includes the F1® blade on the lower front bumper, the side and rear lower-body trims and rim markings. Another distinctive feature is Renault’s iconic diamond-shaped logo and lettering in shiny black on the vehicle’s front and rear.
Its overall appearance is topped off by a new E-Tech Hybrid or Plug-In Hybrid badge on the rear hatch door which is common for all Renault’s electrified vehicles. The final exterior feature on the special edition models is a bold but stylish graphic label on the driver’s door. The E-Tech Engineered Renault Clio, Captur, Arkana and Megane vehicles are available in various body colours.
Interior Design And Features
To complement the sporty exterior of Renault’s E-Tech-engineered special edition models, the interior needed to be special and it certainly is. The same desire that went into creating the beautiful exterior also resulted in a design that screams visual unity and character. This is largely due to the Warm Titanium stitching on the upholstery and gold decorative accents on the dashboard and air vents. The steering wheel features the letter ‘E’ as the E-Tech signature while the doors also feature a visual design reflecting the exterior door label.
Renault Leading The Charge In Electric Vehicles
For more than 10 years, Renault has been a pioneer in electric vehicles and continues to share its expertise with as many people as possible by providing universally available mobility solutions. Renault has two types of engines: E-Tech Hybrid and E-Tech Plug-In Hybrid, both of which were developed to fulfil the demands of a growing market. The E-Tech Engineered Special Edition models are as follows:
- Arkana – E-Tech Hybrid
- Renault Captur – E-Tech Hybrid and E-Tech Plug-In Hybrid
- Renault Clio – E-Tech Hybrid
- Megane – E-Tech Plug-In Hybrid
E-Tech Engineered Special Edition Delivers The Best Of Both Worlds
Designed to give occupants a more efficient and enjoyable driving experience, the Renault E-Tech special edition model combines an electric motor with a petrol engine, delivering the best of both worlds while the interior is luxurious, spacious and comfortable.
Through continued research and development, the E-Tech Engineered special edition models are economical, environmentally friendly and seductive in appearance. Starting in June, the E-Tech Engineered models will be available in France for the Clio, Arkana and Megane but the Renault Captur will only be released at a later stage.
There is no confirmation yet whether any of the E-Tech Engineered Special Edition models will be available in South Africa but we certainly hope so. To read more about new vehicle launches, motoring advice, and hybrid and electric vehicles, simply read our blog and follow us on Facebook.
The post Renault E-Tech Engineered Special Edition Comes To Life appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Top Ten Ranking For The New Renault Kiger And Triber
Posted by Group1 Renault on 20 Jun 2022
Renault’s Kiger and Triber are among top cars in SA
South Africa’s car market is dominated by SUVs. South Africans love the style and flexibility, the practical dimensions, and the ability to fit in at the mall or out on the country roads. We love our hatchbacks as well, but not as much as an SUV. The result is a very crowded market with fantastic newcomers added almost monthly. Yet in this crowded space, two new Renault SUVs are solidly in the top ten seller list.
The Renault Kiger and the Renault Triber are both in the most popular B-segment, SUVs under 4m in length and both are exceedingly well priced. Both are very safe, and offer all the luxury features as standard. Both are new on the market and feature modern good looks and well-appointed interiors. Yet for all their similarities, the Kiger and the Triber are totally different cars that offer specific lifestyle benefits and will appeal to different buyers. So let’s have a look and compare the Renault Kiger and the Renault Triber.
Renault Kiger
The Kiger is a spacious five-seater with three trim levels, naturally aspirated 52kW or turbo 74kw engines and manual or CVT transmission – giving you six options in all. Boot space is a very generous 405L that will extend to 879L with folded rear seats. The most affordable option starts at under R220 000 while the top trim turbo CVT is still just above R314K. It comes with a 5-year/150 000 mechanical warranty and 6-year corrosion warranty.
Model dependent, the Kiger will give you LED DRL, Parking sensors, ABS and EBD, 16” wheels, steering wheel controls, 8” touchscreen, rear view camera, front and side airbags, and much more.
The Renault Triber is a spacious, funky, fun SUV, ideal for a young professional or a young family.
Renault Triber
Although more or less the same dimensions as the Kiger, the Triber is an entirely different car and will be bought for different reasons by people with different needs. Although it has an equally impressive range of features as the Kiger, there is a more utilitarian feel to it, probably because of its incredible flexibility.
The basic Triber is a 5-seater with a massive 625-litre boot. Click in the easy-fit seats and it becomes a seven-seater for the school run or to cater for a larger family. Or fold everything in the back flat to make a two-seater with a massive flat space you can literally camp in or carry really bulky stuff. Or fold down the seats on one side of the back to make a four-seater that can carry something awkward like a surfboard.
The Triber starts at a slightly lower price point than the Kiger and even the top of the four options are well under R250K. It comes with a naturally aspirated 1-litre petrol that gives you 52kW. It comes with a 5-year/150 000 mechanical warranty and a 5-year corrosion warranty.
Spoilt for choice
These are two great cars, and each offers several trim levels and different lifestyle solutions. Best have a look at what is what and book a test drive of the one you like.
The post Top Ten Ranking For The New Renault Kiger And Triber appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Renault’s Hydrogen Concept Car: A Vision of Sustainability
Posted by Group1 Renault on 26 Apr 2022
Renault to reveal their hydrogen concept car
The 2022 ChangeNOW summit is the biggest event in the world dedicated to sustainable and positive impact solutions. Renault will be part of it with plans to unveil its new hydrogen concept car on May 19th, 2022. The new hydrogen concept car is the latest from Renault following a busy couple of years with the impressive Renault Morphoz, all-electric Renault 5 hatchback and the AIR4 flying drone. With such interesting developments in sustainability and Renault’s concept car of the future making a World Premiere, the ChangeNOW 2022 is certainly an exciting prospect for all automotive fans.
New Hydrogen Concept Car From Renault
Following an earlier teaser image showing a fairly slim headlight line and front grille, a substantially lower front bumper, accentuated by tall daytime running lights, new images have appeared from CEO Luca de Meo.
While the new hydrogen concept car was confirmed at Renault’s 2021 financial year-end, the latest images reveal a little more of the front end with a new Renault badge illuminated on the side window. Judging from the available photos and renderings, the hydrogen concept car will be taller than the new electric Renault Megane and could most feature a full-blown SUV profile.
In February 2022, De Meo said: “We will soon launch a concept car. We wanted to materialise our vision of sustainability, based on the three pillars – safety, inclusion and environment – on one product. This concept will announce a future product. When we do concepts at Renault, we want to turn them into real cars.”
It appears that Renault is putting more effort into building a more efficient hydrogen-powered car. According to the French automaker, the new unique hydrogen concept car will “embody the group’s sustainable development vision and commitments”.
Considering Renault is a historic mobility brand and pioneer of electric vehicles in Europe, especially, the automaker is leading the charge in developing more innovative, sustainable vehicles. As part of the ‘Renaulution’ strategic plan, The Renault brand has launched an ambitious, value-generating evolution towards a more competitive, balanced, and electric range. The goal of the company is to provide cutting-edge technology and innovation in transportation, energy, and mobility services.
What Is The ChangeNOW Event?
The ChangeNOW story started in 2015 on the back of France hosting COP21 and following the signing of the Paris agreement. At the time, many sustainability solutions were emerging as entrepreneurs from around the world were working on ways to address some of the world’s major global issues. Most of these initiatives remained isolated and unknown with little chance of scalability.
Unlike more mature sectors, the impact sector did not have a global gathering of sorts. With that, the idea behind the ChangeNOW summit materialised as the impact ecosystem needed a major global event. The objective was to unite investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, communities and talent across the industry to accelerate sustainable development and ensure visibility at scale.
The 2022 ChangeNOW event will take place between 19 and 21 May at the Grand Palais Ephémère and the Eiffel Tower. Renault will reveal its new sustainability-driven hydrogen concept car at 8:00 am (CET) on the 19th of May.
The post Renault’s Hydrogen Concept Car: A Vision of Sustainability appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Technology Used By Renault To Solve Road Accidents
Posted by Group1 Renault on 11 Apr 2022
Renault Techs are working on a way to help reduce car accidents
Ask anyone why there are so many accidents on our roads and the answer will be Taxis!!!! Sure, minibus taxis often drive badly, but the causes of road accidents and deaths are much more nuanced. In fact, the leading causes are distractions, drunk driving and speeding, and behaviours that are not limited to taxis. This is a worldwide problem…
So let’s look at Renault in India and the hackathon it will carry out to solve hackcidents. In case you don’t know what hackzactly we are talking about, let’s take a step back. A hackathon is like a marathon for technical people and computer fundis to solve a problem using technology. A famous example was when Facebook had such a ‘thon and came up with the ‘Like’ button. In this case, it is to solve accidents involving a specific type of vehicle in a specific area.
In Tamil Nadu, a region in India, over 10% of road deaths are caused by public buses, twice the national average. So the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has signed an agreement with Renault-Nissan Technology and Business Centre to carry out a year-long hackathon to find out why these accidents are so prevalent in that area, and to evaluate technology solutions to reduce the accidents.
Initially, it was assumed that speeding was responsible for this high accident prevalence, but a 2019 project by the Indian government to install speed warnings in all consumer vehicles in the country was deemed to be ineffective, a one-size-fits-all attempt to improve road safety. But if you have such a statistically-significant accident rate variance, there have to be other factors as well.
The first part of this project will be to fit buses in the affected regions with sensors, to collect data on why these fatal accidents occur. The next part of the project will be to use the data to develop low-cost technologies to solve the problem.
Contextualised speed warnings may be a solution to consider for the engineers at Renault-Nissan. This uses publicly-available road infrastructure and geographical information to tell the driver he’s going too fast for the road he is on. On some roads, at certain times it is fine to drive at 60km/h, while on others it is not.
We will see what solutions the Renault boffins come up with in about a year’s time, but in the meantime, you can keep up with all Renault-related news by staying up to date with our blog.
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Your Frugal Fuel Brand – A Renault Efficiency Appraisal
Posted by Group1 Renault on 16 Mar 2022
Renault cars can help you manage your fuel exspenses
A mate told his friend to take his date to somewhere expensive to impress her, so he took her to a filling station. True story. Not a joke though, with 95 unleaded going at R20.88 a litre at the time of writing.
Inflation already played havoc with our budgets, but with fuel prices going up and up, fuel efficiency becomes a real thing right now. Fuel consumption is not an absolute bottom line though. If you have to have a large SUV, you will measure its fuel consumption against similarly sized vehicles. Renault vehicles are known for their frugality, but in the interest of fairness, let’s discuss Renault without comparing it to other brands. All friends here. Please note, though, that we are talking about a combined cycle, so a combination of urban and highway. If your driving takes you more on one or the other, it will affect your use.
Let’s start with the most at one end and go from there.
Renault Kwid
The Renault Kwid is a compact, nippy run-around, ideal for students, young career starters, small families, daily rush-hour commute, as well as older folk who knows how much car they need. The Kwid comes with a 1.0-litre petrol engine that gives you 50 kW and 91 Nm. It has two transmission types, and these will give you a combined cycle of 4.71-litres per 100km for the 5-speed manual and 4.4-litres per 100km for the 5-speed AMT Auto.
Renault Triber
The Triber is a generous 7-seater people carrier that still gives off an SUV vibe. Good for larger families or those with very sociable kids. This MPV also makes a spectacular Uber or Taxify car! It too comes with a 1.0-petrol engine, giving you an excellent 5.5-litres per 100km in the combined cycle.
Renault Kiger
This newcomer is a sporty 5-seater with the option of 1.0-litre 52 kW naturally aspirated or 74 kW turbo engine. The 53 kW manual will give you 5.3-litres per 100km, while the automatic will go at 5.2-litres per 100km. The manual turbo will run at 5.2-litres per 100km and the automatic at 5.4-litres per 100km.
Renault Clio
The hatch for the young professional, or any other professional that enjoys the fresh, sleek and lively look of the Clio V. This sporty hatch comes with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and gives you 74 kW at 5.7-litres per 100km.
Renault Duster
The go-to sporty compact SUV in South Africa has been around for yonks – continuously updated and still going strong. It now comes in a 1.5-litre dCi, giving you 66 kW or 80 kW. The 66 kW uses 5.1-litres per 100km, while the 80 kW has two gearboxes that give you 4.8 and 5.2-litres per 100km respectively.
Renault Koleos
This is a big, impressive SUV with a big, impressive 126 kW 2.5-litre petrol engine with a CVT transmission. The Koleos runs at 8.1-litres per 100km, which is impressive for such a large car.
So it’s a question of reconciling your ideal lifestyle with the realities of your wallet. We hope this list serves as your handy guide to Renault’s fuel consumption.
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