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Daimler consulting with Ford about 3-cylinder engines

Soon enough, Ford will offer its 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine under the hood of the Fiesta here in the United States, building on the success of the small powerplant overseas. In fact, this success has caused other automakers to take notice, and according to Automotive News Europe, Daimler is now talking to Ford about this engine for use in its own products.
In other markets, Ford offers the 1.0-liter mill under the hood of the Focus (we had the chance to sample this package on our home turf), as well as the B-Max MPV. For this new collaboration, Daimler would use the turbo-three in the next-generation Smart ForTwo, as well as the Renault Twingo, which the German automaker will be collaborating on as part of its alliance with Renault-Nissan. Speaking to AN, a Mercedes-Benz engineer called the 1.0-liter mill an "interesting and impressive engine."
In exchange for details about the EcoBoost inline-three, Daimler will supply Ford with information regarding its Euro6 stratified lean-burn gasoline engine, which is found in the new E-Class sedan.

Renault unveiling Twin'Run concept in Monaco [w/video]

During last year's Monaco Formula One Grand Prix weekend, Renault introduced us to the Alpine A110-50. This year, it's another revival called Twin'Run - the follow up to the Twin'Z but not called TwinFun, as we previously thought - a smooth blue hatch to update all those yellowed memories of the Renault R5 Turbo and Clio V6. With the same footprint as the Twin'Z, this is the other side of the 'play' theme in Renault's six-stage exploration of the stages of life through concept cars.
The Twin'Z is admittedly a neat piece of work, but the Twin'Run one - and its murderous exhaust note - has our hot breath all over it. A steel, tubular chassis provides the structure. Within it, just ahead of the rear axle is a 3.5-liter V6 with 320 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, shifted through a six-speed sequential transmission. To keep its city-car proportions stable on 18-inch wheels, the fuel tank, radiator and hydraulic system are in the front, under the hood, resulting in a 43/57 front-to-rear weight balance.
The bodywork is a mix of glass fiber and carbon fiber, the squarish headlamps and supplemental quad headlamps a nod to the R5 Turbo rally car and its light rack for nighttime stages. Inside is lots of black and red Alcantara, a gauge cluster wrapped in white lacquer and aluminum pedals whose setup is said to be motorsports tested.

Renault and Red Bull Racing team up for awesome sports Megane [w/video]

The Renault Mégane R.S. Red Bull Racing RB8 is a special edition hatchback celebrating the company's third year in a row powering Infiniti Red Bull Racing to the Formula One Constructor's Championship. The French carmaker did the same thing last year with the Megane R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7, but whereas last year's model came in the black and yellow livery associated with Renault factory racing teams, this one hews closer to Infiniti Red Bull colors, with an exclusive Crépuscule Blue finish and platinum gray accents.
Other signs as to the hatchack's purpose are the Red Bull logos on the rear quarter panels, the badging on the sills and inside and the laurel stickers on the rear windows. Helping fulfill the buyer's need for speed are a set of 19-inch black wheels shod in the same Bridgestone rubber that got the Megane around the Nürburgring in record time for a production front-wheel-drive car. The car also includes the first use of Renault's new R-Link multimedia tablet and the second generation of the R.S. Monitor.
It will go on sale in 26 countries that sadly fail to include ours. Its arrival in French dealerships is slated for June at a starting price of 36,000 euro ($46,445 US, taxes included), and it will be withdrawn from sale on September 30, 2013 to make good on its limited-edition promise. There's more on it in the press release and video below.

Daimler, Renault talking about large van joint venture

Daimler and Renault officially joined hands in April 2010. Since then, Nissan has agreed to build engines for the Germans, Daimler is expected to construct a plant near the Nissan plant in Mexico, the Smart ForFour and Renault Twingo will share platforms and electric siblings and the same Renault manufacturing facility, and Mercedes is supposedly considering a Renault-based X-Class vehicle to slot between Smart and the A-Class. Not bad for less than three years' work.
But wait, there's more. According to a report in Automotive News, the two firms are talking about developing a large van. When it comes to big cargo haulers, Mercedes is in bed with Volkswagen at the moment, but the contract has just three more years to run and VW has announced its intention to go solo on the next-generation van.
This wouldn't be the first commercial vehicle tie-up for the brands: Mercedes already uses the Renault Kangoo as the base for its Citan. Both Daimler and Renault have confirmed the talks, but have not confirmed a French newspaper report that the manufacturing site has already been chosen in France.

Renault teases followup concept to Twin'Z

When amateur spy shots first surfaced of a little blue hatchback roaring down the streets of Madrid, we thought it might be a Renault 5 revival - the sky blue city car did have a big "5" written on its doors, after all. Turns out, though, that it is the TwinFun, followup to the recently unveiled Twin'Z and the final offering in Renault's six-stage concept car cycle.
Last year, Renault introduced the Alpine A110-50 concept at the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix; for 2013 it will be the TwinFun taking the spotlight. A three-sentence press release below tells us that it fulfills the 'play' brief in the "life-cycle design strategy." We just want to find out what kind of engine it's got that makes all that glorious noise.

Twizy Renault Sport F1 is a racy EV that defies categorization

It recently came out that Porsche mulled a return to Formula One but chose a return to Le Mans instead, citing F1 technology's lack of relevance to its road cars. Well Porsche, take this: the Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept, "a bridge between the world of F1 technology and that of production cars." The French Formula One legend took a 17-horsepower electric Twizy and replaced the back seat with an 80-hp KERS unit, just like the ones it produces for its F1 customer teams. Then it added tires from a Formula 2 Renault and a steering wheel derived from a Formula 3.5 Renault, a front splitter, sidepods and open-wheeler mirrors. Yes, it's absurd - and by absurd we mean outstanding.
There are two KERS modes the driver can use, the first a Recovery mode that uses the Twizy's main 17-hp electric motor to recoup energy since the city car can't produce enough energy through braking to repower the KERS unit. The other is Boost mode, which allows a 13-second burst using the combined 97 horsepower available with the two motors. A single-seater-style rain light is affixed out back, and it illuminates when in Boost mode. The result is a Twizy that can dash from 0-60 miles per hour as quick as Renault's fastest car, the Megane Renaultsport 265, listed by Car magazine at six seconds. The Twizy's top speed in Boost mode climbs from 53 mph to 68 mph.
It will be shown at various events throughout the year, starting with the World Series by Renault race in Aragon, Spain on April 27 and 28. You can read all about it right now in the press release below.

Renault offers shadowy glimpse of F1-influenced electric car concept

Well, what have we here? Truth be told, we're not entirely sure. The teaser image above comes from Renault, and its contents are about as opaque as the message with which it arrives:
"This prototype vehicle, which features muscular styling and impressive performance credentials, provides a bridge between the world of Formula One and that of electric vehicles. It's a concept car that will make a lot of noise... but, in total silence."
So, the gist is that Renault is readying an EV concept influenced by F1. Beyond that, and the picture above displaying some of the car's electric drivetrain, we don't have much to go on. Fortunately, we won't have to wait long to find out what they are up to - the unnamed concept will be revealed in two days' time, on Thursday, April 25 at the company's plant in Valladolid, Spain.

Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept makes fast friends at Shanghai show

Last year, Renault created the Alpine A110-50 Concept to mark the 50th anniversary of the original Renault A110, but we had to wait until this year's Shanghai Motor Show to see the stunning concept in person. First introduced in 1961, the A110 became a dominating force in the rally car circuit in the early 1970s, and the A110-50 Concept shows what a future version of the car could be - although there's still no official word if Renault plans to ever bring this car to production.
As a refresher, this concept pays homage to the classic A110 with its Alpine Blue paint job and hood-mounted foglights, but its wavy rear wing, scissor doors and curvaceous carbon fiber body are all modern cues. This concept gets its power from a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V6 producing 400 horsepower, which is controlled through a six-speed, dual-clutch gearbox. For more information on this concept (including a digital video of the car in motion) head on over to our previous post of the car from last year.

Race Recap: 2013 Chinese Grand Prix a test of tires, carnage and a fight for second [spoilers]

Formula One fans and commentators have spent the three weeks since the Malaysian Grand Prix discussing two things more than any other: that pass, and tires. Sebastian Vettel spent days giving his tongue an Olympic workout on the verbal gymnastics parallel bars before finally admitting he passed his Infiniti Red Bull teammate Mark Webber on purpose partly for reasons of payback, partly out of a desire to win - he doesn't apologize for it and he would do it again.
Then came those Pirellis - every single driver and team representative interview touches on how important it is to understand the tires and manage their degradation. Two races in, though, it seems no team has any clue yet how to make the race-weekend compounds work predictably. The only thing predictable about the soft compound tires that Pirelli brought to China was that they would last for six laps, and that led to an odd qualifying session with drivers reluctant to leave the pits or even set a time.
It also led to the first pole position for an Englishman in a Mercedes-Benz since Stirling Moss did it in 1955.

Renault Twin'Z concept revealed, Twingo replacement takes shape [w/video]

Renault teamed with Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove, known for his works inspired by nature, on the Twin'Z concept. The supermini city car is the fifth in Renault's six-stage concept cycle modeled on human stages of life, after the DeZir (Love), Captur (Exploration), R-Space (Family) and Frendzy (Work). The Twin'Z is all about play and spaciousness, an all-electric powertrain allowing a unfettered cockpit and rear-wheel drive athletics.
Inspired by the heritage of the Renault 5 (which might also be returning in concept form) and the Twingo, it has been introduced at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, the annual furniture design showcase in Italy. The Twin'Z brief is to conjoin "the world of furniture and the automobile." On top of Renault's bodwork design, Lovegrove and his associates detailed the bumpers, LED light patterns throughout, wheels and interior.
That cabin is probably the most striking aspect for there being so little to it. Instead of an instrument panel - and storage, it appears - there is a smartphone near the steering column that displays crucial data and a tablet on a pedestal between the front seats with supplemental diagnostics. Occupants sit on carbon fiber seats wrapped in a woven textile, those in the rear will find the seats emerge from the Twin'Z's bodyshell.