The Zafira GSi is a classic parts-bin special-under the hood is the same 190-bhp 2.0-liter turbo that powers hot versions of the Astra coupe, hatch and convertible. Roomy, practical, fast and fun, the GSi is a surprising-and surprisingly effective-addition to the range.
* "A lot of people were predicting the disappearance of French manufacturers 15 years ago." With his sober suits and horn-rimmed glasses, Renault CEO Louis Schweitzer might look like the archetypal French bureaucrat he once was, but at heart he's a tough, clever businessman. "I thought it was deserved, but I wanted to prove them wrong."
And prove them wrong he has. Once a government-owned basket-case, Renault is now one of the hottest automakers in Europe. And the first look at its all-new Golf rival, the Megane II, suggests it's about to get even hotter.
The three- and five-door Meganes unveiled by Schweitzer are just the first of a seven-model range that will include a sedan, a wagon, a convertible with a folding steel hardtop, and two minivans-all on sale by the end of next year. And they are the most radical looking, with bold styling that echoes Renault's eye-popping Avantime and Vel Satis luxury models.
Given the hatches will account for 35% of all Megane sales, that sounds like risky business. Not a bit of it, said Renault design chief Patrick le Quement, the man who has helped turn Renault's image around by insisting on what he calls "instinctive design, not extinctive marketing." Quement insisted, "We are not in the business of launching cars that shock people. I don't think this is a radical car as such; we have an assertive style.
The Megane II is built on the brand-new small-car platform that will also underpin the next-generation Sentra-although development work was begun on it in 1997, two years before the Renault-Nissan alliance was established. This is a big small car-wheelbase is a generous 2625mm. Engines range from 1.4 to 2.0 liter-petrol and diesel-and the bigger engined models are fitted with Nissan's new six-speed manual transmission.
Pick of the bunch-and le Quement's personal favorite-is likely to be the still secret Renault Sport three-door, which will be powered by a 200-bhp 2.0-liter turbo motor driving through a six-speed manual and rolling on giant 18-in. alloys.
* Saab has ruled out developing a large luxury car, opting instead to focus on a new small car to compete with Audi's A3 and the forthcoming Volvo V50. "We will not do a bigger car than the 9-5," said Saab CEO Peter Augustsson. "We are not big enough for all the investment in dealers and the cost of marketing of such a move."
The decision will disappoint U.S. Saab dealers, who wanted a big Saab to compete against Benz S-Class and Jaguar XJ, but ends a long-running internal wrangle over the future direction of the company. At the Detroit Show in January 2000, GM boss Rick Wagoner said support for a big or small car was split between the U.S. and Europe. Europe has won.
A small Saab is at least three years away, but it will add much-needed volume to the company's output. Augustsson says the long-term strategic goal for Saab is 200,000 to 250,000 units-double today's volume. "We can't be a one million premium prestige car company; there are already too many of those. So we target a sales level exceeding 200,000 to reach a good level of profitability," he said.
AutobodiesCar Design at the Museum of Modern ArtWhile the Manhattan location (11 West 53rd) of the Museum of Modern Art undergoes a three-year expansion project, MoMA has opened storage facilities and temporary galleries in the former Swingline staple factory in Long Island City, Queens, N.Y. MoMA QNS opened June 29, 2002, and reveling in the new-found space presented "AUTObodies: speed, sport, transport" as one of the inaugural shows. AUTObodies is MoMA's ninth automotive exhibition (the first was Eight Automobiles in 1951). european car had the opportunity to visit with curator Peter Reed a few days after the show's opening.