Frankfurt 2007: Renault Kangoo Compact Concept

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Every automaker is after the much-coveted active-lifestyle crowd, and apparently Renault is no different. Partnering with Rollerblade, Renault developed the Kangoo Compact Concept that blends "mobility, togetherness and lust for life" with a roller-skating theme. Sure.

The concept's styling is set to inspire future Kangoos, but whether the brushed aluminum and safety-orange color scheme makes it into the lineup is debatable. The large greenhouse, comprised of an expansive windscreen that stretches past the A-pillar, mates to a retractable glass roof that, which combined with a fold-down hatch, allows would-be 'bladers a place to strap on their skates.

The full Renault press release is posted after the jump, and you can check out the high-res gallery below. We'll bring you live shots of the Kanoo Compact Concept from the show floor tomorrow, as well.

[Source: Renault]

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PRESS RELEASE

In the midst of its largest-ever product offensive, Renault will take this year's Frankfurt Motor Show by storm by taking the covers off of an unprecedented six new production cars and two concepts, as well as a whole host of new technical and engineering innovations.

Briefly, the new production cars making their world debuts are: New Laguna Hatch and Sport Tourer, New Kangoo and Clio Sport Tourer, plus a Pick-up addition to the Logan family and the new South America-destined Sandero compact hatchback. Completing the French product blitz in Germany are the two new concepts: the sleek and stunning new Laguna Coupé Concept and the fun and roomy Kangoo Compact Concept. Also on the stand will be the latest engineering feats from Renault in the form of a three-litre V6 dCi Concept show engine and the new Active Drive four-wheel-steer chassis which will debut on New Laguna.

Laguna Coupé Concept: elegance, driving pleasure and peace of mind
Designed to be Renault's vision of a top-of-the-range grand tourer coupé, the Laguna Coupé Concept is intended for the discerning motorist who appreciates performance, driving pleasure and refinement, while marrying high-tech innovation with the essence of cool. Underpinned by the four-wheel-steer Active Drive chassis, its boasts a brand new V6 dCi engine developed as part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Kangoo Compact Concept: light, airy and designed for leisure
Joining the Laguna Coupé Concept is the Kangoo Compact Concept which sets the tone for the new, wider Kangoo line-up. It targets young, active town- and city-dwellers who are into sport and looking for a compact car that matches their lifestyle. Its expressive, robust lines are emphasised by its special two-tone colour scheme that blends Fireball Orange and Brushed Aluminium. The cabin, which floods with light, is made to be shared with friends. Roomy and fun, Kangoo Compact Concept focuses firmly on the pursuit of leisure and the outdoor life. Built around a roller-skating theme, the car was developed in partnership with Rollerblade, and inspired by the shared values of mobility, togetherness and lust for life.

New Laguna Hatch and Sport Tourer
Making their motor show debuts alongside their Coupé Concept relative, will be both the Hatch and Sport Tourer versions of New Laguna. Already well received by the media particularly for its well-crafted interior and high levels of quality, the flagship model for Renault Commitment 2009 aims to be in the top three in its segment for product and service quality.

With its elegant and flowing lines, New Laguna is the epitome of comfort and refinement, as well as offering impressively high active and passive safety levels, a comprehensive equipment list and a wide range of petrol and diesel engines offering power between 110hp and 170hp at launch.

Clio Sport Tourer: attractive, practical and roomy
Also making its first appearance at a major motor show, is the new Clio Sport Tourer. Entering a niche market soon to be joined by the likes of the MINI Clubman and the Skoda Fabia Estate, the first-ever estate version of Clio draws on the strengths of the rest of the Clio III family in terms of road-holding, roominess, ride comfort and safety.

Clio Sport Tourer is one of the most compact cars of its kind on the market, striking an intelligent balance between elegant, sleek design, with its steeply raked rear screen, and roomy practicality with a generously-sized (439 litres) luggage bay.

A car designed to conquer new markets in keeping with Renault Commitment 2009, Clio Sport Tourer will enable Renault to broaden its appeal in the supermini segment alongside Clio Campus, Modus and the rest of the Clio III range. Clio Sport Tourer will be manufactured in Turkey and launches in 2008.

New Kangoo: more practical, more comfortable
Launched in 1997, Kangoo's affable, expressive style revolutionised the leisure utility vehicle sector. Roomy and versatile, it has been a phenomenal success, selling over 2,200,000 units in just ten years.

New Kangoo draws on the fundamentals of its predecessor: quality, comfort, and practicality. At 4,213mm in length, New Kangoo's resolutely contemporary and cheery lines exert a strong appeal. Its short, chunky front end frees up space for the bright, airy passenger cabin, which is further enhanced by its steeply-raked MPV-style windscreen and doors which open into a comprehensively reworked interior.

For improved comfort, a number of features have been upgraded. New Kangoo is 180mm longer than its predecessor and that extra length has been lavished on the cabin, where more volume gives the five occupants more room and comfort. Resolutely contemporary and featuring a more ergonomic design, the dashboard resembles that of an MPV, while the cabin has been refitted and finished with quality materials. New Kangoo boasts standards of thermal and acoustic comfort worthy of an MPV. Some versions feature automatic climate control. Air is evenly distributed between front and rear thanks to the design of the circuit, which has outlets at each passenger's feet. To ensure acoustic comfort, engineers have used the same techniques as for the rest of the Renault range.

New Kangoo takes an ingenious approach to modularity
With its practical design dedicated to the pursuit of leisure, Kangoo brings to the segment a novel touch of ergonomic design, roominess, and user-friendliness. Its 60:40 split-fold rear bench drops down easily in one fell swoop to form a flat load space. On some versions, the front passenger seat folds in the same manner. Load capacity can thus be boosted from 660 litres to 2,866 litres. What's more, in this configuration the vehicle can carry objects that are 2.5m in length. New Kangoo's interior boasts up to 77 litres of stowage space, which includes 24 litres in handy aircraft-style overhead stowage compartments for rear passengers. The vehicle also debuts innovative longitudinal roof bars that convert into a luggage rack. No tools are needed and the rack can take loads of up to 80kg.

New Kangoo comes complete with a diverse and comprehensive range of reliable powertrains to meet the needs of all motorists: two petrol engines and one diesel, with three different outputs. This offering is firmly built on values like robustness, reliability, economy, and respect for the environment. The New Kangoo 1.5 dCi 105 will offer consumers a diesel engine with particulate filter from launch. Both other 1.5 dCi powertrains (70hp and 85hp) fulfil Renault's eco2 commitment, with CO2 emissions lower than 140 grams per kilometre.

Developed from the Scénic platform that is acknowledged for its dynamic quality, comfort, and safety, New Kangoo offers features hitherto unprecedented in the leisure utility vehicle segment. Its 2,697mm wheelbase lends it sound, balanced, secure handling. Its active and passive safety equipment is identical to that of a family saloon. All versions are equipped with the latest-generation ABS and Emergency Brake Assist, while some feature ESP with understeer control, ASR traction control, and engine torque overrun regulation functions.

For the safety of its occupants, New Kangoo benefits from state-of-the-art driver assistance systems, most of which originate in the segments above. They include cruise control and speed limiter, automatic headlamp actuation, and wipers with automatic rain sensors, none of which was available on the previous model. New Kangoo also has between two and six airbags, seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and anti-submarining humps in the front and back seat squabs, as well as three seats with Isofix anchorage points (depending on the version).

New Renault Sandero – affordable, practical and robust
With the arrival of Sandero, Renault is – for the first time – launching a new model outside its European home base. Developed from the same B0 platform as Logan and built in the Curitiba plant in Brazil, Sandero will be marketed in Brazil from December 2007, and subsequently launched in Argentina.

Thanks to the involvement of Renault's Brazil-based Regional Engineering Centre, Sandero was designed with the expectations of South American customers in mind. This attractive five-door hatchback boasts all the basic qualities of vehicles derived from the B0 platform: it is roomy, robust and has plenty of luggage space. Sandero will be marketed in Brazil with a three-year warranty, unprecedented in its class. In Europe, a model derived from Sandero will further enrich the Dacia range in 2008.

Dacia Logan Pick-up - A practical, robust vehicle, for business and pleasure
Dacia Logan Pick-up is the latest addition to the Logan family, which already boasts a saloon, an estate, and a light commercial van. Manufactured at the Pitesti plant in Romania, Logan Pick-up is the ideal working vehicle for craftsmen and tradespeople, while also meeting the needs of the ordinary motorist. Naturally, Logan Pick-up bears all the hallmarks of a true Logan. With its Renault-originated petrol and diesel powertrain packages and the same chassis as Logan MCV, Logan Pick-up is a vehicle that is both contemporary and robust. Logan Pick-up also stands out for its sheer practicality – another fundamental Logan family trait. It boasts a load bed with a payload of 800kg, a load length of 1.80m, and 300 litres of cabin stowage space behind the seats. It will be marketed from 2008, starting in Romania.

V6 dCi Concept: exceptional performance and supreme driving pleasure
Unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, V6 dCi Concept offers a foretaste of the new generation of 3.0-litre V6 diesel engines designed for the brand's high end vehicles.

Developed within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, V6 dCi Concept demonstrates Renault's determination to extend its line-up of engines with a product which is both high-performance and refined. Dedicated to driving pleasure, it develops an outstanding power output of 265hp, a wide range of engine speeds peaking at 5,200rpm and maximum torque of 550Nm at 1,750rpm. The engine has also been developed to set a new standard in terms of acoustic comfort. By fitting V6 dCi Concept with a particulate filter and a nitrogen oxide processing system (NOx trap), Renault combines high performance with respect for the environment. In fact, V6 dCi Concept complies with Euro VI and US standards. V6 dCi Concept is allied to a Proactive, automatic six-speed gearbox.

Four-wheel Active Drive chassis: driving pleasure and outstanding efficiency
Renault will unveil a sneak preview of its four-wheel-steer Active Drive chassis to visitors at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This brand new technology, jointly developed by Renault and Renault Sport Technologies on New Laguna, affords greater manoeuvrability and handling precision for the ultimate in driving pleasure.

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