Renault News

Renault Australia has released an upgraded Megane RS range for the 2019 model year, priced from $45,990 plus on-road costs.The 2019 Megane RS range has been split into two models - Sport and Cup - for a more streamlined range. The Cup is also now available as a six-speed dual-clutch auto. Standard kit on the Megane RS Sport includes an 8.7-inch portrait multimedia system with satellite navigation, 19-inch alloy wheels, '4Control' four-wheel steering, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic parking, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, distance warning and AEB, heated/auto-folding mirrors and automatic LED headlights and wipers.Replacing the previously optional Cup pack is the full-time Megane RS Cup, which adds a 10 per cent stiffer chassis than the Sport, as well as a mechanical limited-slip front differential, dark 19-inch alloy wheels and bi-material brakes. Sport DCT and all Cup models are now equipped with a Bose sound system and alcantara/leather upholstery as standard. Metallic paint is available for $800 ($1000 for ‘Liquid Yellow’ or ‘Tonic Orange’) and a panoramic sunroof is $1990 (unavailable on Sport manual). 

Renault Australia has reintroduced a five-year/unlimited km warranty on the Renault Sport Megane - more commonly known as the Megane RS - almost a year after it was reduced to three years. The longer warranty applies to just the Megane RS, which is the only new Renault Sport product on sale in Australia currently - the Clio RS is in runout. Megane RS models purchased after today, May 1st 2019, will feature the five-year warranty as standard, matching the standard Renault range. The reduction to three years' cover came in May 2018 when Renault’s international head office made the call for all Renault Sport products to be equipped with a three-year/unlimited km warranty term. The company received backlash for the move, and is perhaps the reason as to why it has been reinstated. The upgraded warranty of Renault Sport products now matches regular Renault models, as well as competitors from Hyundai, Volkswagen, Skoda, Honda and Ford, along with alliance partner Nissan. The Megane RS is priced competitively for a high-performance hatch, listing at $44,990 plus on-road costs. Perhaps the reinstatement of a longer warranty will help it secure more sales, as it has averaged just 30 cars per month so far in 2019.

Renault has previewed its new-generation small van with the unveiling of the all-electric Kangoo ZE Concept, which could launch in production form as early as next year.

March is traditionally a breather month after a usual weak sales start to the year. Given the market downturn so far, it could be a bit tougher than before. That means the new car deals will start coming hot and strong so we’ll publish some of the best that could save you some big bucks.

The all-new fifth-generation Renault Clio will be the brand’s first mainstream model to offer an hybrid drivetrain, but it won’t be offered in Australia.

Renault Australia has joined other local manufacturers such as Kia and SsangYong in offering a seven-year warranty with unlimited kilometre coverage on its Koleos SUV - albeit only until March 31st, 2019.

Carlos Ghosn, the disgraced former leader of Nissan who has been languishing in a Japanese jail since November, has begun his fight back with his new lawyer - a man known as 'The Razor' - going on the attack.Junichiro Hironaka, nicknamed The Razor, because of his cutting inquisitorial style, has told the media that the case against his client over alleged financial misconduct, “should have been dealt with as an internal matter” and should never have become a criminal matter, let alone landed his client in jail.Hironaka said Japan itself was being made to look absurd and out of step with international norms by keeping Ghosn in jail.Ghosn has asked to be bailed so that he can leave jail and prepare his defence - against allegations that he under-reported compensation over eight years, to the tune of $US82 million, among other charges - and even offered to wear a GPS ankle bracelet, but his application was denied by Japanese authorities.The court claimed he needed to stay locked up to avoid evidence tampering.Hiring Hironaka is seen as a switch to a more aggressive approach by Ghosn, who has sacked his previous, more media-shy lawyer, Motonari Otsuru.Hironaka, 73, who has a history of winning high-profile criminal cases, said he did not know why Ghosn picked him, but said he probably wanted an experienced criminal lawyer as his case moves towards what will be a keenly watched trial."He is innocent of all the charges," Hironaka said.The former head of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance, Ghosn was long feted as one of the industry’s best and brightest, but he is now fighting a legal system where, on average, just three of every 100 defendants who pleads not guilty is acquitted.He’s also likely to be in jail - an unlikely place for a white-collar criminal yet to be found guilty of anything to find himself in other countries - for some time yet, as it could take up to a year for the trial to come to court. The trial itself is tipped to stretch through much of 2020.Hironaka told a press briefing it was difficult to predict when Ghosn would be released."I have been called the Razor, but it is not a nickname I particularly like. I would rather be known as gentle Hironaka," he said.

Renault Australia has added a new 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine to its Captur small SUV range for 2019, with new equipment too.

Renault has confirmed key details for its new Clio light hatch ahead of its official unveiling at the Geneva motor show in March, revealing new styling in and out, as well as a new platform to allow autonomous and hybrid capabilities.

Carlos Ghosn has officially left his position as chairman and chief executive officer of Groupe Renault, with Michelin’s Jean-Dominique Senard to fill his shoes as chairman and Thierry Bollore to take the reigns as CEO.