RE: Renault Latitude Revealed: A 21st Century 25
Tuesday 8th June 2010
Renault is persisting with a presence in the luxury car sector with this, the new Renault Latitude. At almost five metres long and more than 1.8 metres wide, it will be Renault's largest car when it goes on sale this autumn.
It essentially replaces the quirky and poor-seklling Vel Satis (which died last year) as the Renault saloon flagship, but has reportedly been designed to evoke the spirit of the Renault 25 - arguably the last commercially successful large Renault saloon.
Renault Latitude Revealed: A 21st Century 25
French marque returns to luxury segment with spiritual successor to the 25 saloon
The Latitude is based on the same architreecture as the Laguna and Espace, and the Korean-market Samsung SM5 executive saloon (pictured below right).
The French maker says that the Latitude will be "a truly high-end package that will position it as the spearhead of international Renault's saloon car range".
It's not been decided whether the Latitude is headed for the UK, However. Britain is a marginal market for these sorts of cars these days - the similarly positioned Citroen C6 has only found just over 700 owners in the UK since its introduction in 2006 - but a decision won't be made until the end of the year.
So far Renault has only announced plans to put the Latitude on sale in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Gulf, Mexico, Russia, Turkey - all markets where the Renault brand has a strong reputation. A European version of the car will be unveiled at the Paris motor show this autumn, before it hits European showrooms at the start of 2011.
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 Korean-market Samsung SM5 sister |
Discussion
"a truly high-end package that will position it as the spearhead of international Renault's saloon car range" WTF! Do Renault do saloons? Even the 25 was a hatch.
High-end Renault - I suppose it's a bit like being the tallest dwarf in the world.....an utterly pointless achievement.
How much is this going to cost? I can see a really long queue outside the Reault showrooms for this barge....how many customers will migrate from Merc/BMW/Lexus/Kia for this uber-depreciating piece of design mediocrity?
Keep it on the continent - we'll have your fun hatches/useful MPVs - unless, of course, renaultsport can save it....
High-end Renault - I suppose it's a bit like being the tallest dwarf in the world.....an utterly pointless achievement.
How much is this going to cost? I can see a really long queue outside the Reault showrooms for this barge....how many customers will migrate from Merc/BMW/Lexus/Kia for this uber-depreciating piece of design mediocrity?
Keep it on the continent - we'll have your fun hatches/useful MPVs - unless, of course, renaultsport can save it....
Why is Britian such a land of snobbery?
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
Twincam16 said:
Why is Britian such a land of snobbery?
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
It stems from the company car. Most other countries don't have company cars and over time the car became a symbol of success and status in the UK, the better the car the more successful you are. Go to France for example, without any company car culture, and you'll find that most people want cheap to run and practical cars hence a proliferation of French diesel hatchbacks.I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
Typical of the badge snobery is the poster "sandals". The current Laguna is a nice design the outgoing one looked nasty up the front with that cheap tacky grey plastic in the middle of the grill; although inside was nice.
This Lattitude does seem impressive to me, it could have better wheels instead of the boring VW group Passat look-a-like rims. It is a million times better than that ugly waste of space Vel-Satis thing. Those hatchback wannabe saloon things dont work imo, when Vauxhall replaced the Omega with one that was based on the Astra, I even forgot the name of it, it flopped big time.
This Lattitude does seem impressive to me, it could have better wheels instead of the boring VW group Passat look-a-like rims. It is a million times better than that ugly waste of space Vel-Satis thing. Those hatchback wannabe saloon things dont work imo, when Vauxhall replaced the Omega with one that was based on the Astra, I even forgot the name of it, it flopped big time.
Twincam16 said:
Why is Britian such a land of snobbery?
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
Twincam16 said:
Why is Britian such a land of snobbery?
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
I pretty much agree with everything you say, though I wouldn't venture near one due to the off a cliff depreciation, but it just makes me laugh how the car marketing spin seems to work in this country with so called prestige motors, the UK just laps it up when our neighbours are having none of it.I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
Looks like a Suzuki to me, doesn't look much like a Renault at all from the front. The Vel-Satis was a flop here so perhaps the toned down looks are partly down to that. Looking at other unusual cars in the segment such as the Honda Legend and the Citroen C6, the car will have to be very good to break into this sector as both of those haven't taken a huge market share. The Legend only comes with a petrol V6 mind, I'd imagine a diesel offering would shift a few more.
Barkychoc said:
Twincam16 said:
Why is Britian such a land of snobbery?
I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
I pretty much agree with everything you say, though I wouldn't venture near one due to the off a cliff depreciation, but it just makes me laugh how the car marketing spin seems to work in this country with so called prestige motors, the UK just laps it up when our neighbours are having none of it.I mean, what if it's actually good? What if it offers a brilliant combination of ride quality, handling and refinement? What if it turns out to be massively superior to the pound-for-pound equivalent Audi?
Just a sign that Britons are regarded as a shallow-minded throwaway society consumed with anxiety about how well their neighbours think they're doing. No wonder the French look down on us as a bunch of intellectual dwarves.
That said, it would be great to see some of the classic French names making a return to the luxury sector - Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Lago etc - perhaps that would satisfy our Corporate-Americanised, skin-deep 'in brands we trust' attitudes.
Same goes for the announcement that Lancias will be Chryslers over here because Britain prefers overwrought, gold-plated US-rapper-lite glitz to Italian design-house sophistication.
How far we've plunged.
Firstly, company-car regulations, which seem to demand fleets be resold frequently, so the roads are full of 'resale-tastic' dirgeboxes.
And the second, I think, is a 'keeping up with the Joneses' attitude that just serves to make suburbia anxious and jealousy-driven. The badge on the front becomes more important than the specification of the car, and resale value is almost as important to the private buyer as the company-car fleet, mainly because the very thought of having to talk to a person at a garage, or get your hands dirty fixing something, or to own something without a warranty has the Thatcher-born, Blair-nurtured Princess-and-the-Pea-minded denizens of modern Britain terrified. As a result, cars are bought, owned until the warranty runs out, then sold at great expense and loss and another car is bought, inevitably on credit.
Ironically, these ludicrous, damaging social attitudes prevail even though Gordon Brown's Magic Money Tree stopped bearing fruit years ago. The social attitudes encouraged under New Labout have left suburbia flailing, many quarters unable to cope with reality. 'But I WANT an BMW, and I WANT it NOW! Or I'll THCREAM!'
When I was brought up, it was 'I want never gets'.
ArtVandelay said:
Looks like a Suzuki to me, doesn't look much like a Renault at all from the front. The Vel-Satis was a flop here so perhaps the toned down looks are partly down to that. Looking at other unusual cars in the segment such as the Honda Legend and the Citroen C6, the car will have to be very good to break into this sector as both of those haven't taken a huge market share. The Legend only comes with a petrol V6 mind, I'd imagine a diesel offering would shift a few more.
That's the thing though - the Legend and C6 are superb cars. The C6 is class-leading in terms of ride quality (which is what you need in Britain rather than a sport-spec Audi with condoms for tyres).Only snobbery ensures it's depreciative curve is so steep. If people respected it for what it was, prices would be steadier.
sushisushi said:
If you buy this, regardless of any of the commment before you're looking at a world of hurt in risidual value terms. Plus it looks like a poor mans passat CC crossed with a toyota...
Only if you buy it with the intention of selling it soon after.Keep it for ten or fifteen years, look after it, and you'll lose no more money over that time than you would if you'd bought an Audi.
And I bet you get a better specification for your money with the Renault.
That's how the French buy their new cars. And I like that attitude. Also, it keeps small independent garages and parts suppliers in business - we need that over here.
Twincam16 said:
Only snobbery ensures it's depreciative curve is so steep. If people respected it for what it was, prices would be steadier.
You're correct, but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ironically, nothing says "I'm considerably richer than you"* more than a personally financed C6
*Or possibly "I have the financial acumen of a goldfish"
Twincam16 said:
[Ironically, these ludicrous, damaging social attitudes prevail even though Gordon Brown's Magic Money Tree stopped bearing fruit years ago. The social attitudes encouraged under New Labour Thatcher have left suburbia flailing, many quarters unable to cope with reality. 'But I WANT an BMW, and I WANT it NOW! Or I'll THCREAM!'
When I was brought up, it was 'I want never gets'.
Edited for correctness When I was brought up, it was 'I want never gets'.
Social climbing snobbery accelerated sharply with the 80s yuppies.
We should at least give the French some credit for being loyal to their own brands. We in the UK are such a joke with our putting German product on a pedestal, then b*tching about where our own manufacturing base dissappeared to...
JJ
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