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Hulkenburg and Renault Make a Mockery Of their Competition

Hulkenburg and Renault

Gone are the days when racing companies and racers alike prided themselves upon going all in for victory. Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and decide for yourself. Renault’s races—Nico Hulkenburg—decided that it was worth it to not go for a win and to pragmatically secure the sixth place. Regardless how big of a mockery it makes out of the spirit of sportsmanship, it’s the manner in which the “sportsman” went about his business that has caused the uproar.

Early in the race, Hulkenburg decided to go off circuit to take the lead on Force India’s Sergio Perez. Most spectators would expect such an indecent maneuver to result into a strict action, but the organizers—for some bizarre reason—decided to hand out a five second penalty, which caused Renault to finish in the sixth position.

However, it’s when you consider what the result meant that you realize the gravity of the atrocity that had been committed. The result was good enough for Renault to go ahead of Toro Rosso in the Constructor’s Championship and take the sixth place. As a result, Renault will have more competitiveness (and more money) next year. If the competitions, nowadays, allow for achieving results through clear underhanded tactics, then the organizers should, at least, communicate to all of the participants, so that the competition is fair and the sport isn’t reduced to a mockery!

Renault Was Drooling Over Iran Ban Uplift

The French automaker Renault seems as if it was drooling over the uplifting of bans on Iran.

Renault Logo

It only took a little while for the carmaker to strike a deal with Iran worth $987 million! The deal basically states that the carmaker will make tens of thousands of cars annually under a joint venture with Iran. Trump is already trying to isolate the automobile industry of Iran. So, here is the problem: the deal is pretty good from Iran’s point of view, but as for Renault, there does not seem any real value to it.

As if that wasn’t a problem in itself, by making this deal, the automaker is unnecessarily damaging its alliances with the US. In fact, Donald Trump only recently signed sanctions against Iran. Moreover, he also took the French President Emmanuel Macron on board to impede the growing influence of Iran. Not only does Renault try hard to break the confidence of the US President in the French government to fight Iran’s influence, but it has also put other French industries in jeopardy. You would not want to break ties with the US just so a petty carmaker like Renault can indulge in making cars with Iran.

Renault Has No Self-Respect

FIA TRAANSPORTER

It is evident that Renault knows no meaning of common courtesy when it hired Marcin Budkowski as Executive Director.

Marcin had been an FIA technical chief for eight months before Renault decided to lure him in. This means that he has an insight to pretty much all the secrets of the different F1 teams. As bad as it was on his part, it should have been Renault that should’ve busted the move.

It is unethical that you hire a person who knows well about the components different companies are using on their cars. It simply makes the sport unfair and inclines it into the favor of the desperate Renault. According to Toto Wolff from Mercedes,

“it’s incorrect that a person of that seniority within the FIA should be allowed to be in another working environment within a three-month period”

The low-blow Renault has made has caused several major names in the F1 Strategy Group. These names include McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari etc. Marcin will definitely use his knowledge and expertise in order to give Renault a chance to lead. This itself tells the trust this French automobile company has over its own components, operations and capabilities.

Renault could have been better than that!

Renault Stabs US-French Centuries’ Old Friendship

The US and France have been great allies for centuries. French automaker Renault shows absolutely no regard for it though.

The United States and Iran haven’t gotten along well in the past many years. The US recently imposed a new sanction over Iran which shows that the tension between the countries still exists. While all this was taking place, France was supposed to take sides with the US and keep away from Iranian deals.

Instead, Renault has had the audacity to make a historic deal with the middle-eastern country. The multimillion dollar deal will definitely infuriate the Trump Administration denting the long-lasting relationship.

As per the deal, the French automaker will set up its plants in Iran. These plants will produce around 150,000 cars each year. The project will begin from 2018, and will initially produce Renault’s infamous Duster compact SUV as well as its Symbol.

The appalling move by the French automaker was nothing but disgrace to the terms the US have had with France. What’s even more saddening was the fact that President Trump even had a dialogue with Emmanuel Macron—French President—on the matter. Trump had wanted to lessen Iran’s influence in the Middle-Eastern conflict, but the French automobile industry is out there making historic handshakes with Iran—a true depiction of backstabbing!

Renault May Be Big, but It Still Is Petrified

Being a big automaker means you should be bold in taking decisions, not get scared stiff of them!

Renault

There was a recent cyber attack in Europe where hackers blocked access to important information and demanded ransom in order to release it back. Like several other companies, Renault was also a victim of the cyber-attack. However, where a lot of the other companies took bold measures and continued working to counter the issue, Renault, on the other hand, packed its bags, and refused to conduct any business.

Although it said in a statement that it is working to conquer the issue, what the French automaker actually did was panic and cease all operations at its Sandouville factory in Normandy.

Shutting down operations here meant a production fall back of a staggering 640 vehicles per day. Although the halting of production lasted only for a weekend, it caused a backlash of over a thousand vehicles. There were, without a doubt, many other measures the French automaker could have taken to reduce the damage caused by the cyber attack.

Sandouville was only one of the sites where production was halted. With a company that is over a century old, far better alternative measures could have been taken.

Is The Renault Trezor Really The Best Concept Car Of 2016?

The Renault Trezor was first unveiled at the Mondial De L’Automobile Paris 2016.

And it has the kind of design that you just cannot miss. It’s eye-catching for sure. And it did win the award for the Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year 2016. But there’s a huge difference between being eye-candy and a practical vehicle that will satisfy the concerns of the buyers.

Will it be able to achieve all that? We’re not really sure.

There’s no doubt about the fact that the Trezor has a unique sense of style, a personality, and an irresistible charm. There’s something about the absence of lines across its body and the “floating” roof that gives the car a futuristic look.

However, the two-seater electric coupe does not leave enough room for the passengers to feel comfortable. We’re also not sure about the visibility through the red-tinted glass panel that separates the roof from the rest of the body.

Renault also added a clamshell-like opening to the vehicle where the whole top lifts off kind of like a jewelry box. While this was likely done to add an element of futuristic appeal to the vehicle, it makes for a rather awkward entry and exit.

Would you like to travel in a vehicle like this? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Will Demonitisation Derail the Success of Renault in India?

Renault Car

The French car manufacturer has had a terrific year of sales in India. And it has reached extremely close to meeting its target of capturing five percent of the Indian market share. It currently holds the 4.5% of the market share and is on its way to crossing the 5% mark this year.

One thing, however, stands in the way of success for the company.

In November last year, the Indian government embarked on a demonitisation policy. For those who don’t know what it means, demonitisation is when the government strips the legal status off its currency notes.

In India, the local banknotes worth 500 and 1,000 rupees were rendered useless at the stroke of a midnight hour. The measure was carried out to prevent the misuse of Indian banknotes by terrorist outfits and stop the flow of Indian currency in the black market.

One speech by the Indian Prime Minister, and the whole system underwent several aftershocks. Every sector in the Indian economy, including the automobile industry, was affected.

Renault was no exception.

The demonitisation circus inhibited the flow of traffic to dealers when the company saw a decline in the demand of new cars. Even when a sale was completed, the purchasers delayed delivery.

Will Iran Be the Next Big Market for French Car Manufacturers?

A few years ago, a deal between Iran and a French car manufacturer would’ve been unthinkable.

Iran was an outcast, a global pariah. It was struggling under the weight of crippling economic sanctions over its nuclear program as each of its industries, including automobiles, was reaching the breaking point. However, the 2015 deal between Iran, the US, and the P5+1 States cleared the way for the lifting of economic sanctions and the resumption of trade between Iran and other states.

But now the doorways are open. Iran’s economy is on the way up. And the French car manufacturers don’t want to miss the golden opportunity.

A few days ago, Renault reached a deal with Iran’s government to establish a plant in the country with a capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles a year. The CEO of Renault-Nissan Carlos Ghosn maintains that the demand for cars in Iran could reach 2 million in 2020. Who would want to ignore such a lucrative opportunity?

This is, by no means, the first development between Iran and a French manufacturer. Renault’s rival PSA Peugeot Citroën also wants to produce 150,000 vehicles a year in the country, a figure it aims to double in 2017.

With the number of French manufacturers flocking to capture the blooming Iranian automobile market, it’s clear that the future of French automobile sales lies in Iran.