Few things in the world are sillier than French automotive press releases, which typically use a bizarre and flowery language reminiscent of hackneyed love poems or perfume commercials.
A line from
Renault
's press release on its new Wind roadster concept, the car that the company will unveil at next month's Geneva Motor Show, is a good example of this: "A large sheet of Sienna-colored leather forms an enveloping cocoon" around the interior. Come again?
Beyond that line, though, the Wind's press release is unusually bereft of hyperbole, which is odd considering that the car is breathtaking. At this point, the Wind is a concept--a prototype whose production plans are uncertain--but Renault has a history of frequently turning its concepts into production models. The Wind may be the handsomest effort yet in a new automotive trend toward inexpensive roadsters like
General Motors
'
Pontiac Solstice, which arrives in late 2005, and
Volkswagen
's
Concept R, which was one of the stars of last September's Frankfurt auto show.
Forbes had already named
Patrick le
Quément
Patrick le Quément
, Renault's senior vice president for corporate design, one of the Ten Best Car Designers for 2003--but his aquamarine-colored Wind concept actually makes us sad that Renault left the U.S. in 1988. We won't call it an "enveloping cocoon," but overhead photos show that the Wind is truly, as Renault says in its statement, "cloaked in leather." Photos of the car from the front show a roadster that looks like a cross between BMW's Z4 and
Nissan
's
350Z.
Like the Z4, the Wind's exterior uses sharp, angular lines to create an aggressive look seasoned by details like the elongated head and tail lights, which Renault describes as "almond"-shaped. When you open the driver's door, the adjustable steering wheel and pedal assembly fold away to make room for you. Perhaps the Wind's coolest feature is the section made of carbon fiber, foam and leather that connects the backs of the two front seats. It can be unhooked and turned inside out, forming a saddle shape that provides a third seat in the rear of the car.
The Wind has only slightly less overall length (152 inches versus 155) than
Ford Motor
's
Mazda Miata, the epitome of fun, inexpensive roadsters in our time. The Wind's 136-horsepower, four-cylinder engine compares well with the Miata's 142-horsepower four-cylinder, and the Renault's six-speed gear shifter is a paddle on the steering wheel.
If the Wind tantalizes you, we have a bit of bad news: You might be six or seven years older than you are now before Renault returns to the U.S. Outgoing Chairman
Louis
Schweitzer
Louis Schweitzer
has said that Renault will need to sell cars in the U.S. from 2010 on in order to remain competitive. Nissan, of which Renault owns a 44% controlling interest, could help the French automaker establish a beachhead here.
The timetable could change when Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's current president, replaces Schweitzer in April 2005 and becomes the chairman of both Renault and Nissan. For now, say Nissan officials, Ghosn is deferring all questions about his plans for Renault until he is in the driver's seat there. When the French automaker decides to issue a new press release about its plans for North America, the very least we can expect are some charming embellishments in the language--and, we hope, promises of cars that are as cool as the Wind.
Forbes Fact
Renault established operations in North America at the end of the 1940s. In 1979 and 1980, Renault built up an equity stake in American Motors Co. (of Pacer and Gremlin fame) and bought the automaker, which at the time included Jeep, a brand now owned by
DaimlerChrysler
. When the U.S. auto market recovered from the oil crises of the 1970s, demand for more upscale cars forced Renault's quirky vehicles out of America--at least, that is Renault's explanation. The company sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 and pulled out of the U.S. market in 1988.