Click either image for high-res galleries of the Renault Megane III

Renault is stepping things up a notch. The French automaker has launched an aggressive campaign to refresh and broaden its lineup, including recent launches of the new Laguna, Twingo and Koleos, to name just a few. But this one will likely prove more important than all the others.

The Megane is Renault's bread and butter, competing in a dog-eat-dog segment against the likes of Volkswagen's new Golf and the popular European-spec Ford Focus. Diversity is part of Renault's plan of attack, planning to offer six different Megane bodystyles, each with its own distinct character. To start off, Renault launched the five-door hatchback and the sleek new coupe on its home turf here in Paris. Both represent striking departures from the models they replace, and the three-door cuts a particularly aggressive silhouette. Check out the images in the gallery below to see what we mean.

Gallery: Paris 2008: Renault Megane Coupe

Gallery: Paris 2008: Renault Megane III

Paris 2008: Renault Megane III originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse

With the revival of the Abarth tuning division, Fiat is serious about motorsports. They've been racking up victories in the Intercontinental Rally Championship with the Punto, and have even been sponsoring Valentino Rossi's MotoGP Yamaha. And to drive the point home, while the "esseesse" (read: SS) version of the Cinquecento Abarth was the division's new reveal, it was this racing version, called the Assetto Corse, that took center stage.

The Assetto Corse is, of course, based on the same Fiat 500 that's been selling like adorable little hotcakes in every market it's hit so far. But the cute factor is gone, replaced by big air scoops, giant wings, roll cages and little scorpion badges everywhere. (And we do mean everywhere.) The little racing car that could is packed with a 1.4-liter 16-valve turbocharged four driving 190 hp through a six-speed shifter to the front set of 17" powder-coated white alloys hiding 4-piston Brembo calipers. The interior has a full roll cage and racing bucket, and an aggressive aero package sets the exterior apart from its street-bound progenitors. Check out the hotness for yourself in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2008 Paris: Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse LIVE

Paris 2008: Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Citroen C3 Pluriel Charleston

Last month we noted that Citroen was gearing up to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its most iconic model, the 2CV. For those not familiar with the 2CV, it is to France what the Beetle was to Germany or the Cinquecento was to Italy. Although some suggested that Citroen could be preparing to resurrect the model with a retro throwback of its own, it now appears the French automaker has had its hands full preparing the Hypnos concept, the C6 Office and the new C3 Picasso. So to mark the 2CV's birthday, Citroen is launching a special edition of its quirky little convertible called the C3 Pluriel Charleston.

The special edition takes the same name and paint scheme as the original 2CV 6 Charleston, but that only begs the question as to why a French automaker has named a French car for the French market after a city in South Carolina that the French can't even pronounce. The Pluriel, now on the market since 2003, features an awkward multi-function roof that can be deployed in different configurations... a setup we hope Fiat manages to improve on with the upcoming 500 Cabrio Coach. The Charleston edition, meanwhile, upgrades with a leather interior, chrome trim, 15-inch alloys (don't get too excited now) and a special interior.

There are many European cars we wish we could get in the United States. We'll let the French keep this one.

Gallery: Citroen C3 Pluriel Charleston

Citroen does the Charleston in Paris with special C3 Pluriel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You have to sit back and applaud a car like the Audi RS6 Avant. As we've noted with amazement countless times, it's a station wagon capable of outgunning supercars. In Europe that sort of thing flies, and while it still won't be making the transatlantic voyage (even though we're sure that, with a set of wings attached, it could get here on its own), even back in the old world not everyone is keen on the estate body-style. Which is why Audi is preparing a conventional four-door sedan version of the RS6, which our photographers spied all but completely undisguised out on the street a little over a month ago. Reports now indicate that the twin-turbo V10 super-sedan will be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show this coming October. We can expect the sedan version to carry the same mechanicals as its wagon counterpart, however certain visual updates are expected to be shown on the top-of-the-line RS6 sedan before they trickle down to the entire A6 range.

Gallery: Audi RS6 - spy shots

Paris 2008 Preview: Audi to unveil RS6 sedan originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.