DECEMBER 4, 2000

Renault confirms move up-market

THE Renault car company is launching itself into the luxury car markets with the intention of going head-to-head with Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar.

THE Renault car company is launching itself into the luxury car markets with the intention of going head-to-head with Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar. The news helps to explain the company's return to Grand Prix racing where it will be in direct competition with its rival brands.

Renault's aim is to completely change the Renault image in the next 10 years, in order to differentiate the brand from Nissan, Samsung and Dacia, which the company is rebuilding at the moment. The plan appears to be to follow the Volkswagen lead of having a group of brands aimed at different market sectors with Renault becoming the flagship marque and Nissan producing the small runabouts for which Renault is famous. In order to achieve these goals Renault is planning a completely new range of cars which will begin next year with the launch of the Vel Satis and Avantine models. These are both top-end models, the Vel Sartis being a four-door replacement for the Safrane and the Avantine being a sporty two-door coupe.