| Renault Wind Concept
New Renault sports concept to be unveiled at Geneva
Renault have entered the small sports car arena hot on the heels of Volkswagen who recently unveiled their Concept R. Renault have not made any serious signs towards this market for several years, tending instead to steer towards stylish family vehicles; the Wind concept marks a slight change in product approach for the large French manufacturer.
Should the Wind concept car reach production, it would target a highly lucrative market, one which cars like the Mazda MX-5 have had a strangle-hold on for years. Renault's particular advantage would be it's style credentials. With a history of bringing concepts to production and recent marketing campaigns based on their attention to design, Renault are well placed to steal the crown in the exotic 'runabout' market.
The Renault Wind concept is, however, unlikely to compete seriously with more athletic competition such as the Lotus Elise. Neglect of their racing programmes and a series of flabby Megane coupés have left the brand lacking in sports credibility. In-house experience in performance engineering is also likely to be somewhat lacking - but ultimately only time will tell.
The styling of the Wind concept benefits from Renault's keen attention to detail and careful adhesion to a consistent design policy. Unfortunately, in a market where cars like the Audi TT, Lotus Elise and Opel VX220 already exist, the Wind's styling doesn't shine as strongly as other Renault's have done in other classes. The exterior form is not perhaps as powerful as some of the competition's but firmly beats the traditional sector leading vehicles in understatement and class. The Wind is a quiet and subtle car and would be a welcome addition to the small sports car market.
Images: Courtesy & ©Renault
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