1983 Renault Lecar on 2040-cars

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Renault reveals new Trafic cargo van

Head over to Europe and you're bound to see this van scurrying about. Only you might not recognize it. That's because this product of a joint venture between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and General Motors is sold under four different nameplates: by Vauxhall and Opel as the Vivaro, by Nissan as the Primastar and by Renault as the Trafic.
Since introducing the first-generation Trafic in 1980, Renault alone has sold over 1.6 million of them. The second generation arrived in 2001, and this is the third - or a facelifted version of the second, anyway. It features revised styling and updated equipment and will be offered in two lengths, two heights, a variety of cab configurations and a host of engine options to give commercial buyers a staggering array of 270 different combinations to choose from, including a new 1.6-liter diesel developed by Renault.
To supplement the manufacturing undetaken by GM in the UK and by Nissan in Spain, Renault will also handle assembly of the new van in France. Expect new versions of the Nissan Primastar and Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro to follow, but for now (if you happen to be interested in European vans) you can read about the new Renault Trafic in the press release below.

Renault Kwid concept eyes India's youth market [w/videos]

The 2014 New Dehli Auto Expo is turning into a big show for tiny crossovers. Chevrolet showed off its Adra Concept, and here is Renault's quirky little Kwid Concept. In a great example of how important the Indian market is becoming, this is the first concept the French company has ever debuted outside of Europe.
Despite its awkward name, the Kwid is aimed at young, Indian buyers who want to a cheap, fun car tailored for India's roads. It has a chunky, compact design with short overhangs to make it look ready to go off-road. However, you would not want to go too far off road - for this concept, Renault installed a front-wheel drive, 1.2-liter turbocharged engine with a dual-clutch transmission and a plug-in charging port behind the Renault logo in the front.
The interior is inspired by a bird's nest with overlapping straps to form the bench seat in the front. The driver sits in the center with a passenger on either side, and two can sit in the rear. The gauges are replaced by a TFT touchscreen.

Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan expand partnership, US will get new sedan

Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan have just inked an alliance that might, hopefully, reverse the ailing fortunes of the Mitsubishi brand in the US market. The big chunk of news is that Mitsubishi will produce two Renualt-based models for sale in the US market, and that they'll be built at the Renault-Samsung factory in Busan, South Korea.
The plans call for a D-segment sedan to be followed by a C-segment offering. Based on the cars built at the Busan factory, that means Mitsubishi will be getting the SM5 and the SM3, a pair of handsome sedans that are based on Renault-Nissan's D and C platforms, respectively. These same platforms underpin a number of US market Nissans (not to mention a number of cars from Renault), namely the Pathfinder, Maxima, Quest and Murano for the D platform and the last-generation Rogue and Sentra for the C platform.
Besides the sedan production, Nissan and Mitsubishi will be expanding their joint-venture company, NMKV, which produces Kei cars for the Japanese market. A new, all-electric offering will be born from the partnership, likely based on a Kei car platform. The partnership between the three brands will also lead to increased sharing of technology, particularly relating to electric cars.