Car Audio

Posts Tagged ‘renault’

Renault was born in February 1877. Youngest of five he had a very priviledged childhood and developed an interest in mechanics very early on in life. It was in a garden shed the young Louis set up his first workshop.

By 20 years old he converted his tricycle into a four wheeled car and added his new invention, the first gear box.

His two brothers Fernand and Marcel set up the Renault Brothers company in 1899.

It was through racing that the renault brothers became famous with Louis and Marcel doing the racing. They won races one of the most important of which was the Paris to Vienna race won by Marcel in 1902.

Their sales in cars accelerated rapidly and they were sold at 3,000 francs each which is equal to ten years average salary at that time. By 1902 the first saloon car and later that year the first Renault engine with four cylinders and 24 horse power. Not very long after this the first turbo engine was patented.

However in 1903 Marcel was tragically killed in a race from Paris to Madrid. He was only 31 years old. This was heartbreaking for Louis and it made him give up racing for good.

By 1919 the motor car in France was regarded as a big luxury and was heavily taxed. Louis reorganised his business and started to manufacture everything that had an engine from cars, vans, light commercial vehicles, buses, trucks etc. He managed to aquire his own foundries and ironworks which enabled him to reduce his independence on other companies although he did buy components when they were cheaper than he could manufacture himself.

In 1998 Renault celebrated its centenary by opening two major sites.
The Renault Technocentre near Paris was to be the driving force accommodating Renaults 6500 engineering and design personnel.
The Scenic bodywork assembly plant based in Brazil is a large complex including a powertrain plant and also a light vehicle assembly plant.

I wonder if Louis Renault could ever have imagined right at the start when he converted his bicycle that his empire would grow into such a large industry. Nowadays it is often more viable to lease vans and indeed in years to come Renault van leasing companies would be spread worldwide.

One of the toughest decisions for your business is trying to find the best vehicles that come with your required features at your price range for your business.

However, this decision is made a lot simpler with the Renault Trafic. The Renault Trafic, which has recently won the 2009 Security Award, is the best selling van created by Renault. The 2009 British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards was where the Trafic van won the award and this year was the first year that vans were included in the runnings.

The van walked away with the award because of all the security features that are included. Anti-drill door locks, remote central locking with deadlocking and a Thatcham category one alarm are just a few of the amazing security features that come standard with this van. The Renault Anti Intruder Device is also included on the van, what this does is once the van travels faster than 5mph, all the doors automatically lock.

This van has proven to be very successful for many businesses as well as Renault. The only downside to the van is the price, at just over £17,000 for the standard van. However, there are ways to get your business using this van without paying the full price, and that is van leasing.

By taking out a Renault van lease, you can seriously save some money for your business, while still getting the latest model Trafic vans. With a Renault Trafic lease you pay a monthly fee for the van rather than paying £17,000 for your own van, plus you still get to benefit from the huge number of security features that come with the Trafic van.

Whether you are a new business or an experienced business, many businesses have found that by leasing their vehicles, they can save large amounts of money. Particularly for new companies, rather than having big new vehicle bills hanging over your head, you simply pay monthly for as long as you want to use the van for. Leasing means that you get the latest vans at the best prices for your business.

The van and truck sales sector has released yet more bad news for the motoring industry. June figures for truck registrations are still showing falling numbers, however, the amount of vans being registered is starting to level out.

The amount of trucks being registered has been falling month by month, however, the figures for June have shown the largest drop in registrations yet. With the amount of trucks being registered last month only amounting to 2,761, this is a 47% fall in registrations from the same time last year.

The other side of the sector has seen some improvement, the amount of van registrations. The amount of vans being registered reached 17,158 units. These sales figures show a 40.1% fall in registrations from June 2008, however, this month on month fall is actually the smallest so far. This means that the van sales level could be improving.

One manufacturer that did well in June was Renault. They racked up a 78.5% rise in sales during June for their van and light truck models. The Renault Trafic van proved to be the most successful for Renault. The Trafic van, which recently won the 2009 Security award, is Renault’s best selling van.

There are a series of factors that have affected the van and truck market. One is that a number of companies are waiting and watching van and truck prices to see if they continue to fall before they invest. Although the amount of companies buying vans is falling, the amount of van leasing companies buying vans is on the rise, this is because the companies that aren’t buying vans are choosing to lease vans instead.

Many companies are finding that getting out a Renault van lease is working out cheaper in the long run rather than buying a brand new van. So if you are looking for a Renault Trafic lease, you will often get a better deal because you are only paying monthly for the van, rather than paying a bulk sum for a new van.

So although many companies are not buying new vans and trucks, the amount being bought by leasing companies is rising to keep up with demand.

More of these articles and much more automotive news can be found on: Automotive News

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has formed a partnership with the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore to explore the development of Zero Emission Vehicles Program. 

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in the presence of Lawrence Wong, CE of EMA, Dr Beh Swan Gin, MD of EDB, Yam Ah Mee, CE of LTA and Thierry Koskas, Renault Electric Vehicles Programme Director, the organizations have agreed to set up working team of representatives and promote introduction and expansion of electric vehicles in Singapore. 

“EV development is an exciting new area particularly relevant to the Singapore context. Singapore is well-positioned for the deployment of EVs due to our relative small size, urban environment, robust electrical grid and IT infrastructure,” said Mr Lawrence Wong, Chief Executive, EMA. 

“Renault and Nissan aim to become leading brands in zero emission vehicles. Singapore is for us a key priority, as the geography of the country and the focus on environment issues make fast and strong development of electric cars,” said Thierry Koskas Renault electric vehicles programme director. “We are looking forward to working closely with all partners involved to make this project successful.”  

 The Renault-Nissan Alliance has begun ZEV initiatives in Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama in Japan, as well as in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. In the United States, the Alliance is exploring ways to promote zero-emission mobility and the development of an EV infrastructure in the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County and San Diego in California, and Tucson, Phoenix Arizona, Seattle in Washington and Raleigh in North Carolina. 

The Alliance has formed partnerships with 26 governments, cities and other organizations to advance the deployment of EVs worldwide. 

The Renault-Nissan Alliance The Renault Nissan Alliance, founded in 1999, sold 6,090,304 vehicles in 2008. The objective of the Alliance is to rank among the world’s top three vehicle manufacturers in terms of quality, technology and profitability. 

EV Taskforce 

To spearhead Electric Vehicle (EV) test-bedding and infrastructure development in Singapore, a multi-agency taskforce chaired by Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been set up with members comprising the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Economic Development Board (EDB), National Environment Agency (NEA), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).  

The EV taskforce was set up to assess the benefits and applicability of adopting EVs in Singapore. It will draw up the overall plan of EV test-bedding and evaluation of the environmental and economic benefits, with a view of a potential larger scale adoption of EVs in future. The taskforce will work with key industry players to examine infrastructural requirements, policy requirements and new business models arising from EVs, as well as identify industry development and R&D opportunities. It will also look into educating the public on EV technology though a nationwide EV sharing programme or through corporate fleets. Funding for interested parties to develop infrastructure and buy electric vehicle will set aside during the test-bedding process.  

Energy Market Authority Energy Market Authority (EMA) was formed on 1 April 2001 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry to forge a secure, long-term electricity industry that thrives on healthy competition. New market structures have been created to promote competition in the electricity and gas industries. EMA will also continue to promote cost-competitive outcomes for consumers by ensuring a level playing field for competition within the electricity and gas. As co-chair of the EV Taskforce, EMA endeavors to establish strategic partners for test bedding, identify power grid regulation/licensing for EV charging systems and develop relevant codes and standards. Land Transport Authority a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport (LTA). LTA plans the long-term transport needs and spearheads land transport developments in Singapore. LTA addresses wider issues such as sustainable development, economic growth, and community life, while serving commuters by providing an integrated and user-friendly transport system. LTA helps ensure that relevant regulations, standards and infrastructure are in place and is a co-chair of the EV Taskforce. LTA looks forward to working with leading companies such as Renault-Nissan to develop innovative transport solutions. 

Economic Development Board EDB is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre and grow the Singapore economy. In so doing, we attract economic opportunities and jobs for the people of Singapore, and help shape our country's economic future. EDB’s role in the MOU is to work with industry partners like Renault-Nissan to jointly identify industry development opportunities such as manufacturing and R&D. The MOU is aligned with EDB’s positioning of Singapore as a “Living Laboratory” where leading-edge urban mobility solutions, such as electric vehicles, are tested, developed and exported to the rest of the world. 

iCar is an independent webzine for the car enthusiast and brings a daily fresh automotive news. When your are interested in classic cars then we could recommend Auto Motor Klassiek, thousands of classic cars for sale when you click on Classic Cars for Sale Auto Motor Klassiek is a magazine for Classic Cars.

Interested in classics and special motorcycles? Have a look at: Classic Motorcycles