Renault is in development of an ultra low-cost vehicle, along the lines of the Tata Nano. While the Nano is currently suffering from some awful sales numbers (initial projection of 20,000 a month but only saw 1,200 units sold in September), CEO of Renault/ Nissan Carlos Ghosn is convinced that an extremely affordable vehicle would be a good segment for Renault to venture into when approaching emerging markets.

Mercedes-Benz is rethinking their line of Smart cars and will bring the ForFour, a four door, four passenger vehicle, to American consumers by 2015.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese government’s effort to keep the yen’s value under control had failed and that Nissan was strongly considering moving production out of Japan and into foreign countries.

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012.

A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists.

As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must be available in at least five European countries and must have an expected sales volume no less than 5,000.

Categories considered include design, safety, performance, and price. This year, says the judging committee, technical innovation and value will be especially influential. What also makes Car of the Year unique is the absence of separate genres for its candidates. Rather than selecting the best of the compacts or the best trucks, vehicles with all sorts of engine size and body types will be vying for the same allotment of points.

Comparison testing of the vehicles will be performed in Sweden.

The following 35 candidates selected for the 2012 Car of the Year award include:

When it comes to bizarre concept cars, the Tokyo Auto Show might be the traditional winner, but when it comes to production time, often things end up looking like a Camry. Not so for those baguette-loving Frenchmen (and women). From Citroen, to Renault, to Peugeot, their production cars are plenty strange and the concepts that inspire them look straight out of science fiction.

Thanks to the modern reality of doing business in the automotive sector, more and more car companies are seeking alliances in order to share development costs.

The News Of The World scandal rages on, with pressure mounting from Parliament, investigators, and the general public. Now an anonymous executive suggests that car companies who had planned to advertise in the tabloid should donate the money to charity instead.

Nissan has emerged from the global economic downturn as a powerhouse, quietly growing but without grabbing headlines like Ford or Hyundai have. Now the Japanese automaker has unveiled a new business plan titled “Nissan Power 88” that aims to grow its share of the global market to 8 percent, while bringing operating profit to a sustainable 8 percent.

Renault deserves all the credit in the world with its stunning 8:07.97 lap time on the Nurburgring, giving it the FWD record and besting some seriously impressive machines such as Audi’s RS4 and BMW’s E46 M3. So it’s without a doubt that we have to share a video of the record setting run from the cockpit.

Watching driver Laurent Hurgon meticulously pilot the sports car through Nurburgring’s rigorous track while pushing the limits on the Megane RS 265 Trophy’s tires is really a treat. It’s a shame North America will never be able to get behind the wheels of one of these machines anytime soon, much like Ford’s Focus RS.

Check out the video after the jump:

If we asked you what the fastest Nurburgring time for a front-wheel drive car was you’d probably guess the Ford Focus RS. Nope, not even close. In fact it belongs to French automaker Renault, and has for some time.

Back in 2008 the automaker ran an 8:16 with a rather stripped-down R26.R version of the Megane. Now those baguette-lovers have bested their own time, obliterating the old record with an 8:07.97 lap. The car is the new RenaultSport Megane 265 Trophy and the lap time was set by Renault test driver Laurent Hurgon on just his second trip round the ‘Ring.

This puts the newest Megane ahead of some very impressive hardware including Evos and BMW M cars.

Hit the jump for a list of cars the new RenaultSport Megane 265 Trophy is faster than. It will shock you:

As part of its drive to focus on sustainable technologies and new ideas, the Renault– Nissan Alliance is opening a research office, across the road from Google HQ in Silicon Valley, California.

Renault has upped the bar in the European sport compact market with a special edition Megane RS, sporting 261-hp and 265 ft-lbs of torque. In addition to the slight performance increase, the Megane RS Trophy features several aesthetic changes including 19-inch wheels and special decals.

Now Renault has given its hot-hatch Megane RS the full-on Nürburgring treatment, and it promises to be a corker, as the British say—because unlike us, they’ll actually have a chance to pick this Megane up. The Nürburgring edition promises to shave even more weight, like the Megane R26.R, or get more power, like the Megane N4, with an increase over the 247 horsepower in the Megane RS…

Or, it might just come with a serially numbered badge and a few Nürburgring stickers. Either way, fans of fast French hatches have no shortage of choice.

Click the jump to see a video of it in action.

Carlos Tavares has been appointed Renault’s new Chief Operating Officer. As of July 1, Tavares will oversee Renault’s growth strategy focused on developing electric vehicles and new markets. He has replaced Patrick Pelata, who resigned in April following a case of alleged industrial espionage which turned into a fraud investigation.

Infiniti might not have their own F1 team, but that little detail isn’t stopping them from helping the Red Bull team with an energy-recovery system for their F1 team. Consider it Infiniti’s foot in the grand prix door.

Nissan is looking to strengthen some key plants in an effort to minimize damage from future earthquakes starting with the heavily damaged Iwaki engine plant in the Fukushima prefecture.

The Dacia Logan, intended to be sold in world markets as basic transportation, was never supposed to come to America, but somehow, 41 Dacia Logan station wagons found their way to Iowa, sans drivetrain.

Wireless-induction charging of vehicles and plug-in hybrids is likely to become common within the automotive industry say EV experts. “We believe it’s not a matter of if but when wireless charging will be in all (electric) vehicles,” Laura Marino of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory stated during a recent Automotive Power Electronics conference.

Renault’s Vitaly Petrov recently made history by becoming the first Russian driver to clinch a Formula One podium finish. Now he’s making history through the Internet with this awesome footage of him catching air at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Going slightly wide on turn 7 of the course, Petrov launched his Renault race car while in eighth place. Unfortunately the landing snapped the steering column, ending his day of racing short. His teammate Nick Heidfeld did clinch a podium finish however.

Check out the video after the break.

Nissan and Renault are planning to officially combine into one automaker, solidifying a partnership between the Japanese and French companies that has existed since 1999. Or at least, they were planning to do so according to a report by Japan’s Nikkei, that quoted company CEO Carlos Ghosn. Today, however, both automakers are refuting that claim.

Everything that is old is new again. That is the mantra of pretty much every single major car company. Volkswagen has the Beetle (a newer version of which will be launched later this year), Mini has had the reborn Cooper for awhile now, and Fiat recently introduced the new 500 in the North American market. All these models mimic their predecessors in terms of styling.

Now it seems that Renault wants to create Renaultsport into its own brand and are looking to once again produce a roadster, and word is that it’ll be based on the beautiful DeZir concept.

Renault is admitting that is wrongfully dismissed three executives accused of corporate espionage, saying it has found no evidence to support the allegations made.

When several Renault execs were accused of selling the French automaker’s electric car secrets to the Chinese, it made headlines around the world. Last week came reports that the story might have been a hoax – and that now appears to be the case with a Renault security agent having been arrested.

Days after Renault fired three men and pressed criminal charges on them for allegedly attempting to sell electric car secrets overseas, CEO Carlos Ghosn is facing a disturbing lack of evidence, embarrassing Renault into reconsidering its accusations.

Whether you love or hate the way the Nissan Juke looks, it’s hard to argue that it’s anything but a blast to drive. Renault seems to be taking a few things from corporate partner Nissan, and emulating the Juke with their Captur, a concept that debuted at the Geneva Auto Show.

And this just in… RedBull will be getting their engines for free in 2011. It’s part of a new deal by the Renault/Nissan group to promote the Infiniti brand, which is relatively new in Europe.

Previewing a possible sister-car to the Nissan Juke, Renault has announced the new Captur Concept ahead of its official debut at the Geneva Auto Show. The two seater is a look at fun crossover mobility and is the second of six concepts that will set the tone for the French automaker’s future design language.

Without a compact luxury car, Infiniti will have a hard time competing in their new European stomping grounds, and let’s face it, a rebadged Nissan Versa ain’t exactly up to the task.

The 26 year-old Polish star has suffered massive injury to his right hand, as it got partially severed in the crash. He has also suffered injury to his shoulder and elbow.

Dacia might not be well know in America, but they are getting ready to take on Pikes Peak this year with Jean-Phillipe Dayraut at the wheel. He will be driving a Dacia Duster with a tuned engine out of a Nissan GT-R. Peak output should be around 850-hp and since the car weighs under 2000 lbs., it will be quick.

Nissan has traditionally played second fiddle to Honda in terms of sales figures, but the company’s strong numbers in China, combined with Honda’s declining fortunes have helped Nissan surpass Honda. Nissan moved 4.08 million units in 2010, with Honda only pushing 3.56 million.

Hyundai was able to achieve a 45 percent market share in South Korea in 2010, falling well below its target of 52 percent. Luckily, the failure to meet the target thanks to phenomenal growth from the Kia brand, owned by Hyundai and Kia’s new Optima and Sportage.

French automaker Renault, recently said that its strategic assets have been put at risk, due to suspected industrial espionage, particularly with reference to the firm’s electric vehicle technology.

With their supply of Renault engines set to dry up after 2011, and new engine regulations coming into place in 2013, current champions Red Bull are said to be looking at producing their own engines, with one rumored partner said to be Volkswagen.

So apart from Team Lotus (formerly known as Lotus F1) which is a privately owned team, Group Lotus has bought a stake into the Renault F1 team to create Lotus Renault GP. So while there will be two Lotus F1 teams on the grid, only one will get factory support.

The black and gold Lotus paint scheme may be Formula 1’s most iconic livery, more dear to the hearts of fans than even the red Marlboro design used on McLaren and Ferrari cars.

While the colors originally came from the John Player Special cigarette design, they’ve managed to burn themselves into the hearts and minds of racing fans, long after Lotus had left the sport, and tobacco advertising was banished once and for all.

The revived Lotus Renault outfit comes from a partnership between Lotus cars and Genii Capital, an investment group that purchased the remnants of Renault’s Formula 1 outfit, that’s also won two championships. Using Renault engines, the name choice was obvious – except that a rival team, which had purchase the Lotus naming rights for the 2010 season, is also campaigning in the 2011 season with Renault power. Their name too, will be Lotus Renault GP. We expect this to be settled in court soon, but in the mean time, hit the jump to see the press release for one of two Lotus Renault Formula 1 outfits.

[Source: Renault]

Carlos Ghosn, head of Renault- Nissan, offered a series of very optimistic forecasts regarding electric vehicles during a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, while stating bluntly “There are customers who want really zero emission cars.”

Renault is already one of the auto industry’s leaders in electric vehicles, investing enormous sums in the Better Place battery swap technology and introducing one of the first mass-market electric cars with their Nissan division, in the form of the Leaf hatchback.

Russia has tried for some time to get a Formula 1 race, and with their hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2014 and the World Cup in 2018, it looks as if the country will finally get a race starting in 2014.

After signing a pact to develop electric cars in April, Daimler has announced that they will expand their alliance with Renault- Nissan, as automakers scramble to bring alternative fuel vehicles to the market.

The Lotus F1 team has historically relied on power from three major engine builders; Cosworth, Renault and Honda. With Honda now out of Formula 1 racing and Cosworth’s powerplants providing unsatisfactory results, Lotus has turned to historic partner Renault for some mechanical motivation.

A new book by former Obama administration auto czar Steve Rattner claims that Renault- Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was offered the job of General Motors CEO, by turned it down.

Renault is currently testing prototypes from their upcoming electric vehicle range in Israel, with a view to selling them in the country by next year.

Renault’s Megane 250 is widely considered one of the best hot hatches in the world. Not surprisingly, North Americans are unable to buy it due to our sordid love/hate relationship with French vehicles.

Lotus F1, the Malaysian upstart team trading on the name of the famed British sports car maker, is apparently switching from Cosworth to Renault power for the 2011 season.

Glass’s Guide, car valuation experts from the UK have studied the long-term ownership costs of EVs, such as the forthcoming Nissan Leaf (shown, above.) The news isn’t looking good. Glass’s reports that after 5 years of ownership, EVs will retain only about 10 percent of their value, as opposed to the 25 percent residual value of a comparable gasoline or diesel powered car.

There have been some big blunders in the history of automotive naming. The Chevrolet Nova flopped in Spanish speaking countries because its name literally means “it doesn’t go”. The Ford Pinto’s name in Brazilian Portuguese has similarly negative connotations, literally meaning “a man with small genitals.”

Carlos Ghosn has been re-elected to serve as CEO and Chairman of Renault for another four years.

The future is nearly here. Better Place, a company devoted to developing rapid battery swap systems, will have its first station on-line by May 2010. According to Green Car Advisor, the first Tokyo station will serve Nihon Kotsu, one of the city’s largest taxi firms.

“These taxis average about 300 kilometers [186 miles] a day each, so that’s three battery exchanges for each taxi each day,” said Better Place spokeswoman Julie Mullins. “It will be a 24/7 test of the system.”

This news is significant, as Better Place has agreements to supply infrastructure to a number of countries and regions around the world, including Ontario, Canada; Denmark; Australia; Hawaii; Northern California; Japan, and Israel. Denmark and Israel will be the first countries with a full Better Place battery swap network, in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

“But,” you say, “there aren’t any vehicles on-sale that support such a technology.”

You’d be right, although the Renault Fluence ZE pictured above will be the first vehicle to support the Better Place system. Since Renault and Nissan are essentially the same company, expect to see the first vehicles in North America to support battery swapping to come from Nissan. Unfortunately, the upcoming ( on-sale in August) Leaf all-electric car does not support battery swapping.

See a demo of the Better Place system after the jump: