Nissan Altima Coupe needs to learn French fast
It's an Altima Coupé. It's a Laguna Coupé. It's two, two, two cars in one. Auto Express magazine has another spy shot of Nissan's new Altima 2-door we told you about recently. But there's a twist. The car is wearing a Renault badge. Huh? How did Renault get the Coupé before Nissan? Company head Carlos Ghosn has announced plans to introduce a whopping 26 new Renault models over the next 3 years, and borrowing the underpinnings from the Altima, the new Laguna could be available much sooner. Renault means front-engine, front-drive, so this Altima Coupé fits into the Renault lineup quite nicely, especially in the UK.
According to the article, the Laguna Coupé will be powered by the same 3.5-litre V6 as the Altima with around 260 hp. That should give the Laguna a 0-60mph time of less than seven seconds and a top speed around 140mph. All out performance will be reserved for the Nissan 350Z, though, with the Renault being more of a GT car. That translates into a slightly more comfort-oriented driving experience. An automatic gearbox is expected to be the most popular choice in shifters.
Outside, the new Coupé will follow along the lines of Renault's Nepta concept. Prices on the Laguna Coupé are being pegged at around £25,000 ($47,400) when it reaches showrooms next year.
[Source: Auto Express]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
leo 5:09PM (11/14/2006)
looks like the same exact car. the front sign looks like the nissan one.
got a better picture?
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Greg 5:19PM (11/14/2006)
Whatever the badge.. that is a sharp looking car!
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D Man 5:46PM (11/14/2006)
Can't wait to trade in my 2003 Honda coupe for one of those! Nissan designs some BEAUTIFUL cars.
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Angry 6:22PM (11/14/2006)
i hope it never comes to the US.. it would really impact the xclusivity of my G coupe.. spend 40k and then nissan ends up selling the same shape for 15-20k less.. that wouldnt b very fair..
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Lee Gibson 8:48PM (11/14/2006)
Fair? Who cares about fair? It'll never be anything like the G35, because it's FRONT WHEEL DRIVE.
"xclusivity"? Who the hell cares?
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andalib danandeh 9:12PM (11/15/2006)
GT cars have to be rear wheel drive, editor needs to know that Ok have fun!
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nipponboi 9:29PM (11/14/2006)
Nissan does not need to learn french RENAULT needs to learn japanese. One day whole world will speak with harmonious japanese instead of english and mandaring. NiPPON PoWER. Renault did copy nissan design not nissan copy renault. That proves that cars from nippon are superior than european car especially from france. NiPPON PoWER!
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Anthony94114 12:18AM (11/15/2006)
As Renault stole a page from the Volvo playbook some years ago, becoming THE [other] car company that prides itself on safety.. this will probably be massively solid in crash tests. Should be a nice halo effect for the Nissan over here.
Wonder if Renault's fondness for tin-top coupe-convertibles means the Altima will also get a drop top version?
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advantage20 5:45PM (11/15/2006)
nipponboi what do you know about Renault? They didn't copy Nissan design, if there has incidentally been some design interfering it's only beneficial for the group image. Today their images are different. Even if Renault did copy Nissan design, that doesn't prove at all that cars from Nippon are better than French cars. They may have good enfgines but they have worse security, worse confort, and unlike what you are saying a worse and often boring design. So stop talking nonsense.
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Poe 8:52PM (11/15/2006)
Hey nipponboi... if the Japanese are so damn superior, why did Renault have to buy Nissan and save them from bankruptcy? That said, I refuse to buy another Nissan (I've owned four) because of the "influence" Renault has had on their quality.
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