Raunchy Lesbian Ad for Renault Twingo Banned in Italy

What woman wouldn’t falsely seduce another to steal her shirt? No, this isn’t another one of my sexist rants: it’s a (legitimate?) question posed by a Renault ad that has been banned in Italy.

The ad features two women – who I’ll refer to as the blonde and the brunette – who sneak off together for some hanky-panky bedroom fun. The brunette undresses; the blonde blindfolds her and steals her pink top, later comparing it to the color of her Renault Twingo Miss Sixty.

The ad was created by the Milanese arm of French advertising firm Publicis, which Renault had used before to great effect with the highly popular Papa et Nicole ads of the 1990s for the Renault Clio I. However, this latest ad has not gone down well in Italy, with TV RAI (essentially Italy’s BBC) and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset organization refusing to air it. It has also outraged the nation’s gay-lesbian groups which claim it is offensive to homosexual women.

Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera asks:

“Is it controversial or cutting edge? One thing for certain though at no point during the advert is any technical aspect of the new Renault Twingo ever mentioned.”

Can’t you be both controversial and cutting edge? Lady Gaga (sort of) falls into this category, doesn’t she? *Is pelted with rotten tomatoes* Okay, okay; and let us never speak of her again.

Publicis spokeperson Daniele Tranchini defends the controversial ad:

“We wanted to create an advert that was original, enjoyable and at the same time not vulgar and I believe we have achieved that. What is clever is that you think the advert is going one way but in the end it goes another - its great don't you think?”

For the time being, the ad is only being aired on Sky and has not be shown outside of Italy. Thanks to YouTube, you – our loyal readers – can see the ad for yourselves and render your verdict in the comment’s section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Dailymail & USA Today

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Paris Preshow: Renault and Fashion House Miss Sixty Create Twingo for the Girls

Billed as the first "all-feminine" and "most glamorous" of all Twingo limited editions, the Twingo Miss Sixty is the result of collaboration between Renault and Miss Sixty, the international fashion label of Italy's Sixty group. The fashionista Twingo's world premiere will take place on the Renault stand at next week's Paris Motor Show before launching into the European market in November 2010.

The Twingo Miss Sixty will be available in two unique exterior colors, Bohemian Pink or Pearlescent black, with the interior detailed in pink and black, giving it what Renault describes as a "sultry glam'rock look".

Aside from the Miss Sixty brand logos, other highlights include a pink-rimmed tachometer and speedometer, a pink-stitched leather steering wheel and pearlescent black door mirror housings.

Further details and pricing will be announced at next week's Paris Motor Show.

Renault Wind: Twingo-Based Roadster Officially Revealed

These are the first official photos of Renault's brand-new, small coupe-roadster model, the Wind, that it will have its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Known as the Twingo CC from the spy shots over the past couple of years, the Wind will go up against the likes of the Peugeot 207CC and Opel Tigra in Europe when sales start later in the year.

The strictly two-seater model shares its platform and mechanical hardware with the Twingo, though at 3.830mm long, it's 230mm longer than the hatchback.

Despite the fact that Renault pitches the car as a coupe-roadster, unlike other CC models with retractable hardtops, the Wind uses an electric roof that rotates 180 degrees into the trunk.

A similar (but not the same) system was employed on the Ferrari 575 Superamerica.

The whole process takes only 12 seconds and according to Renault, the Wind's luggage space remains at 270 liters whatever the position of the hardtop.

The French automaker is keeping a tight lid on other details for now, but it is expected that the Wind will be offered with two of the Twingo's petrol engines, a 1.2-liter turbo with 100HP and a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit with 133HP.

Renault Twingo CC Spied Again, Reportedly Heading to Geneva Show

According to the latest reports from Europe, Renault will lift the covers off its long-anticipated two seater convertible model, which we all have come to know as the Twingo CC, at the Geneva Salon in early March alongside the also new hardtop convertible version of the latest Megane.

If true, we expect to see Renault releasing teaser images of the so-called Twingo CC within the next couple of weeks.

As you can see in our updated spy gallery after the jump, the small French sports car that's based on the same underpinnings as the Twingo is still under heavy camouflage.

However, a pair of leaked photos from diecast model manufacturer Norev, gave us our fist look at the convertible model last week.

Unfortunately though, Norev kindly asked us if we could (and did) remove the photos that had been circulating on the net as the maker told us that the model was an early prototype that had been stolen from the French firm's factory. Still, the pictures are available on numerous sites around the web for those that missed out...

From what we know up until now, the small sports car will be a standalone model in Renault's vehicle range and it will be equipped with a unique rotating central-piece rooftop that will stow away inside the boot.

Being based on the Twingo, the sporty convertible will keep the small hatchback's front-wheel drive layout and most likely, its range of four-cylinder gasoline engines that include a 1.2-liter turbo with 100HP and a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit with 133HP.

New Renault Twingo CC Revealed via Diecast Model?

UPDATE: Norev contacted Carscoop and kindly asked to us remove the photos of the diecast model as the maker claims it was a prototype stolen from the factory. Guess that proves its authenticity...

These photographs of a diecast model that appears to show the yet-to-be revealed Renault Twingo CC in production guise, surfaced on the internet today. According to the interwebs, the diecast was produced by Norev, a French company well known for its scale models.

Mind you that this is not the first time we've seen future production models previewed through a diecast - the same thing happened with the Citroen C4 Picasso back in 2006 and more recently with the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate last summer.

Meaning, it's not out of the ordinary for automakers to share their designs with scale model makers. Only thing is that the diecasts shouldn't be shown before the actual product...

Now, back to the Renault Twingo CC, the styling of the scale model seems pretty much consistent with what we've seen in the spy photos up until now- see below.

Based on the popular Twingo hatchback, the two-seater CC is said to feature a rotating central-piece rooftop that stows away inside the boot.

It will keep the hatchback model's front-wheel drive as well as the range of small-displacement petrol engines that include a 1.2-liter turbo and a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit.

Even though most anticipated that Renault's small cabrio would be unwrapped at last year's Frankfurt Show, obviously that didn't happen. Chances are that we'll see the car making its debut either at the Geneva Salon in March or at the Paris Show in autumn.

Via: Blogautomobile