Renault unveils Laguna Coupé at Cannes Film Festival

(29/05/2008)

Renault chose the most glamorous weekend in Europe’s social calendar to take the wraps off of the Laguna Coupé at the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix.

Laguna Coupé benefits from an Active Drive chassis equipped with four-wheel steering and the two new V6 powerplants which have been introduced at the same time on this model. The brand new V6 dCi delivers 235hp, while the new 3.5-litre petrol-powered V6 offers 240hp.

Saturday, 24 May saw Renault President, Carlos Ghosn, arrive at the foot of the illustrious steps of the 61st Cannes Film Festival at the wheel of a Renault Laguna Coupé. The occasion marked the first public showing of the new model and was a fitting way for the manufacturer to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its exclusive partnership with the famous festival.

Renault Laguna Coupé also profited from the weekend by making a guest appearance around the track of the 66th Monaco Grand Prix to showcase its sporting credentials. Two Laguna Coupés completed several laps of the Principality’s legendary circuit in the hands of ING Renault F1 Team test drivers Lucas di Grassi and Romain Grosjean.

Renault Laguna Coupé bears a close resemblance to the concept car revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007. Renault Laguna Coupé is capable of accelerating from rest to 62 mph in less than seven seconds.

With a length of 4.64 metres and width of 1.83 metres, and sitting on its 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, Laguna Coupé's stance evokes a sense of dynamism and power thanks to a wheelbase dimension of 2.69m and height of 1.40m.

Developed jointly by Renault engineers and specialists from Renault Sport Technologies, Laguna Coupé's Active Drive chassis guarantees dynamic performance. Its agility and stability set new standards when it comes to safety and surefooted handling, as well as cornering with directional precision as if it were on rails.

Following its introduction on the GT version of New Laguna, this chassis has been carried over to Laguna Coupé and is particularly suited to being powered by the new car's V6 engines. At low speeds, the Active Drive chassis and four-wheel steering system enhance manoeuvrability. In urban driving, as well as on twisty roads, the car is easy to drive and offers strong handling precision.

On the active safety front, the Active Drive chassis equipped with four-wheel steering excels not only under braking in difficult conditions (asymmetric grip, deployment of ESP), but also when taking avoidance action (the so-called 'elk test'). In addition, the high level of travelling comfort ensures peace of mind for all occupants.

Under the bonnet of Renault Laguna Coupé, the brand-new V6 dCi develops 235hp and peak torque of 450Nm. The same figure for the petrol 3.5 V6 powerplant, which is mated for the first time with the AJ0 automatic six-speed transmission it shares with the diesel engine, is 330Nm, with maximum power of 240hp. In this configuration, Renault Laguna Coupé can accelerate from rest to 62 mph in less than seven seconds. It also naturally benefits from the best engines available in the rest of the New Laguna range, in particular the top performing versions of the range's two-litre petrol and diesel powerplants.

Renault Laguna Coupé will be shown in greater detail at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show and will be available for international media road tests immediately after that. As the spearhead of the Laguna range, it has been designed to offer sheer driving pleasure and plays a key role in Renault's brand's expansion in the luxury end of the market.

Laguna Coupé will be introduced progressively across the Renault sales network from mid-October featuring a long list of high-end equipment.

Related categories:  Coupe car   Renault   Sports car 

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