RENAULT-forum

Die Citroen is al eerder getoond. En ja, Renault gaat het Initiale Paris label ook in China uitrollen:



Renault will launch upscale Initiale Paris line in China

Bruce Gain
Automotive News Europe | September 11, 2013 11:19 CET


FRANKFURT -- Renault will sell upscale vehicles under its new Initiale Paris badge in China as well as Europe to compete with French rival Citroen's DS line.

Renault previewed the badge with the Initiale Paris crossover concept unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show on Tuesday. The concept previews the successor to the Espace large minivan in an Initiale Paris version and "embodies the brand's expertise and ambitions in the premium segment," the company said in a statement.

Renault marketing chief Stephen Norman said the automaker will launch standard and Initiale Paris production versions based on the concept.

"The Initiale Paris model based on the concept will be the upscale version of the vehicle that replaces the Espace," Norman said. "Both will come out in 2015."

He said the Espace will launch in China in 2016. "It is something that China wants," Norman told Automotive News Europe.

Norman said that the Initiale Paris line will compete against the Citroen DS brand but will be "more refined and sophisticated than the DS, a little classier, and less brash."

Renault and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are trying to leverage the popularity of French luxury goods in China and establish their brands as upscale in the fast growing market.

China is the only market where the Citroen DS line is a stand-alone brand with its own dealer network.

Renault's first car to carry the Initial Paris badge will be an upscale version of the Clio subcompact hatchback due to launch in Europe by the end of 2014.

The Initiale Paris concept unveiled by Renault in Frankfurt has a sporty design with raised seating like an SUV and a large minivan-style interior. It is 4850mm long and has roughly the same dimensions as a Grand Espace but weighs 250kg less.

It is powered by a downsized 1.6-liter diesel engine mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission that emits 40 grams per km less CO2 and burns 25 percent less fuel than an equivalent performance diesel, Renault said.

Renault design chief, Laurens van den Acker, said during a press conference that the Initiale Paris concept reflects Renault's ambitions to combine the SUV and minivan features in a crossover design for a premium car driving experience. The crossover's design is intended to be "extremely light with a muscular body" emphasizing "strength and lightness," van den Acker said.

Nog een foto: @Dinictus: als je Renault een beetje gevolgd hebt, wist je al lang dat deze concept paars zou worden. Alle concepts die gepresenteerd zijn, zijn volgens de "levenscyclus". Dit is dus de laatste "wisdom"

Woutosaurus: Dit is een cross-over en cross-overs hebben geen praktisch nut

Een coupé (Fuego ) ook niet.

On topic: even de "concept" items wegdenken en dan staat hier de opvolger van de Espace. Voor diegene die hun Espace hun lief is, je keuze gaat zijn: of meegaan met de tijd of "downsizen" naar een Scenic of overstappen naar een echte bus (Trafic)