Renault Laguna Coupe Official Images & Details

Following a midnight breach on Friday, today Renault took the cloak off its brand-new Laguna Coupe at the Cannes Film Festival. Like most new Renaults, the production version of last year’s Laguna Coupe Concept is elegantly styled and despite the fact that it’s based on the Laguna 5door hatch, its shape is totally different.

As we said in our previous post, the Laguna Coupe reminds us of a Ford Cougar Coupe adorned with plenty of styling elements from an Aston Martin which isn’t a bad thing. Inside, the Laguna Coupe holds no surprises as the dashboard is lifted straight off its 5door sibling. Measuring in at 4.64 metres in length and with a width of 1.83 meters and a wheelbase 2.69 meters, the Laguna Coupe is roughly the size of a BMW 3-Series Coupe. -Continued

Under the bonnet of Renault Laguna Coupe, we find several powerplants including a brand-new 3.0-liter V6 dCi turbo diesel engine that produces 235hp and peak torque of 450Nm and a 3.5 V6 petrol, which is mated for the first time with the AJ0 automatic six-speed transmission it shares with the diesel engine. In this configuration, Renault Laguna Coupe can accelerate to 100 km/h in under than 7.0 seconds. The rest of the range consists of the top performing versions of the range's two-litre petrol and diesel powerplants.

The Laguna Coupe also benefits from the Active Drive chassis and four-wheel steering system first introduced on the GT version of Renault Laguna. At low speeds, the Active Drive chassis and four-wheel steering system promise to enhance manoeuvrability while in town, as well as on twisty roads, the car offers more precise handling.

In terms of safety and according to Renault, the Active Drive chassis equipped with four-wheel steering excels not only under braking in difficult conditions (asymmetric grip, deployment of ESP), but also when taking avoidance action (the so-called 'elk test').

More details of the Renault Laguna Coupe will be revealed during the car’s official public debut at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show and will be available for international media road tests immediately after that. According to the French carmaker, the Laguna Coupe will be introduced progressively across the Renault sales network from mid-October.

BMW M3 Convertible TV Ad Mocks Mercedes SL

Our friend Henri discovered this BMW M3 Convertible German TV spot that takes a direct hit on the Mercedes-Benz SL by making it look like a boring roadster that’s good enough only for romance. It’s not the first time that BMW attempts to show the qualities of its cars by comparing them with the opposition. As you might remember, a couple of weeks ago we showed you the BMW X3 TV ad that ridicules American SUVs –click here. Check out the BMW M3 TV advert right after the jump. -Continued

Kia Cee’d Production Hits 200,000 Milestone after 18 Months

Production of the Cee’d family that consists of three body variants (5door, SW and the 3door Pro_Cee’d) at Kia’s all-new Zilina factory in Slovakia has topped the 200,000 mark, 18 months after the first car rolled off the production line at the company’s one-billion Euro facility. The Zilina plant’s productive records this year include 915 units made in a single day on Monday 21 April, 4,474 units in a single week starting 7 April and 19,300 units in one month - April.

"This is another truly significant day for Kia," said Mr In-Kyu Bae, President and CEO Kia Motors Slovakia. "We produced our 100,000th cee’d last September, only 10 months after start-up, and with the addition of the cee’d wagon and pro_cee’d three-door hatch we have reached our 200,000th cee’d after only eight more months. We are proud to have achieved record productivity levels while maintaining excellent build quality."

Renault Laguna Coupe Official Pictures Break Cover

The first images of Renault’s mid-size Laguna Coupe have been leaked into the net prior to the coupe’s official debut that was scheduled to happen tomorrow afternoon (Saturday May 24) at the Cannes film festival. As anticipated, Renault’s designers didn’t stray too far away from last year’s Laguna Coupe Concept with the overall styling bringing to mind a cross between an Aston Martin and a Ford Cougar Coupe.

As its name clearly suggests, Renault’s new coupe is based on the new Laguna 5door hatch, but it’s a tad shorter at 4.64m long, wider and of course, lower. The Coupe will come equipped the existing 2.0-liter engine range from the Laguna hatch in addition to a new 235Hp 3.0-liter V6 diesel and a 240Hp 3.5-liter V6 petrol unit. The Laguna Coupe is expected to go on sale in Europe during the fourth quarter of the year. –Image gallery after the jump

Pics via: KM77

New Alfa Romeo Brera S Image Gallery

We’ve updated our Alfa Romeo Brera S image gallery with a new set of pictures that are more artistic than the first ones we published about a week ago when Alfa took the wraps off its Prodrive-prepped coupe. The Brera S, which will be available solely in the UK in 185Hp 2.2 JTS and 260Hp 3.2 V6 guises, has received a series of suspension modifications that promise to address criticism of the stock car’s mediocre handling credentials. -Image gallery after the jump

Parking Lot Apology Note

Maybe this parking lot note is actually true, maybe it’s not. Either way, it made us laugh and we thought we’d share it with you.

Pic via: flickr

Achtung! 2012 Ford Mondeo Coupe Rendering

While we’re hoping that Autobild’s claims for a sportier version of the Mondeo Sedan in 2012 are based on actual facts, we’re crossing our fingers and praying to God that Ford’s anti-VW Passat CC proposal will have very little in common in terms of design with this artist’s rendering. The front-end of the car looks like a swollen fish that came out of an appointment with a bad dentist. Utterly ugly.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Autobild

Aussie Clocked Going 263km/h or 164MPH in Nissan 200SX Held Together With Cables!

A 21-year-old Australian driver was caught by Police going 263 km/h or 164 MPH with his 1995 Nissan 200SX (S14) on the Hume Highway near Mittagong in NSW. As if going that fast on a public road wasn't enough of a crime, to their surprise, the Police discovered that the 200SX's body was held on by cable ties, its dashboard was not secured and its battery was held in place by a rag and a bracket! -Continued

The driver, who allegedly told police he had spent the day at the races, was charged with driving at a speed dangerous to the public. It's a darn pity we don't have any pictures of the car. (Pic: Nissan 200SX S14 '98)

Thanks for the tip Nathan! - Via: Theaustralian

Kia Pro_Cee’d to take Part in Nurburgring 24-hour Race

This year’s Nurburgring 24-Hour endurance race (May 24-25) has caught the attention of many (mainstream) automakers. However, Kia didn’t go overboard creating a fully race-prepped model like VW did with its Scirocco GT24. Instead, the Korean car manufacture will participate in this weekend’s endurance race with a barely modified three door pro_cee’d that will de driven by a team from Continental Italia.

The pro_cee’d that will take part in the race is powered by Kia’s stock 2.0-liter diesel engine producing 138Hp at 4000rpm and 305Nm of torque from 1800 to 2500rpm. In all, four drivers will share the 1,900km or 1,181 mile long journey between them - Dr Alberto Bergamaschi who already has 360 races under his belt; Gianni Bellani – an experienced long distance race expert; and two experienced touring car drivers, Paolo Cecchellero and Edo Varini.

BMW 3-Series Sport Sedan Concept

Here’s yet another design proposal from an independent artist who wishes to capture our imagination. The BMW 3-Series Sport Sedan Concept is the work of Benedetto Bordone who graduated from Coventry University in 2005 and is currently a freelance Designer/Illustrator. The artist’s previous working experiences include BeeStudio Torino, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and Honda Advanced Design.

With this proposal, Bordone wanted to explore a possible future design language for the Bavarian brand, and in particular for its core model, the ultra successful 3-Series sedan. "The car's surfaces are inspired by the torso of an athlete, to give an impression of lean muscle. The detailing of the grilles communicates precision and attention to details,” said Berdone. Our opinion? Overall, the design is a bit too complicated for our taste and we think that the front-end styling needs to be reworked from the beginning. -Continued

Via: Carbodydesign

UK Police Officers Get Diesel-Powered Peugeot 308s

Peugeot’s first 308 Police cars are due out on patrol this month in the UK. Based on the 308 1.6-litre HDi 90Hp, Peugeot’s Special Vehicle Operation (PSVO) in Coventry performed all the necessary changes to the standard car that includes a blue light bar, siren, PA system, hand set, control box, LED bumper lights and a full police livery. The next project for PSVO will be to adapt the brand new 308 SW estate vehicle for Police use. -Continued

Andy Bye, Manager of PSVO, said; “The 307 has been a success with UK Police fleets, and the improvements in the new 308 mean we have a very competitive proposition – a product that performs well at all levels. Police forces are increasingly mindful of the operational cost of running a fleet, and their impact upon the environment. The Peugeot 308 HDi 90 S combines low emissions and strong fuel economy, without compromising its role, with added practicality and performance.”

Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance Study

The usually articulate German folks over at Volkswagen revealed this mystery Golf GTI Performance Study at the annual GTI meeting at Wörther Lake in Austria without giving any information whatsoever apart from the car’s elusive name. We’ve no idea whether or not VW performed any performance upgrades on the GTI’s 2.0 TFSI engine, but they did fit it with Lambo style doors and an extreme wide bodykit along with a bi-color paintjob which is also continued in the cabin that features 2+1 seating. –More pics after the jump