Design Study for a Modern Day Renault Alpine Sports Coupe

An affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe from Renault bearing the historic Alpine moniker has been in the cards for years but the French carmaker has yet to launch a modern day successor to the last model to carry the Alpine name, the A610 from the mid 1990s.

After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm’s last bespoke sports car.

Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.

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Geneva 2011: Renault's Sporty Looking R-Space Small MPV Concept

Renault is offering us a glimpse of its next generation Scenic with the new R-Space concept model unveiled today at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The R-Space is the third concept model after the 2009 DeZir and the Juke-like Captur crossover, which is also on display in Geneva, to showcase the French brand's new design language conceived by Renault's chief designer, Laurens van den Acker.

At 4,250mm meters long, the R-Space is slightly shorter than the current Scenic (4,344mm) and features a much more expressive exterior design. The interior styling is quite futuristic with the floating dashboard and the form of the seats echoing those of the DeZir concept car.

“We provided a strong visual and functional contrast between the driver environment, where the focus is on driving pleasure, and a surprising and highly-original rear section conceived as a play space for children," said interior designer Alexandre Gommier.

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Spy Video: Renault R-Space Concept for a Compact MPV Filmed Undisguised!

Evidently, the new Captur small crossover with the removable hardtop we told you about last week won't be the only concept model from Renault to hit the showroom floors of the Geneva Salon in less than two weeks time. A Youtube user managed to scoop a completely undisguised Renault study for a rather sporty looking compact MPV in Lisbon, Portugal. Judging by the black SUV with the camera hooked above the car, it was probably there for a photo shoot.

Earlier today, German car magazine Autobild posted a handful of spy photos of the same MPV model shot again in Lisbon, claiming that the Geneva-bound model is named the Renault R-Space.

The R-Space (if that's its name) sports an eye-catching design that captures the French firm's new styling language as seen on the 2010 Dezir as well more recently on the Captur. There are no other details known about the concept at this time, but it looks like the R-Space is roughly in the same size category as the Scenic meaning it could be based on the underpinnings of the new Megane family.

Renault Captur: Juke-Sized Crossover Convertible Concept Demonstrates New Design Language

Remember the Renault DeZir sports coupe concept from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show? If you don't, you can refresh your memory here, but in short, the two-seater study herald the French firm's new and more curvalicious design strategy on a sports car. Fast forward to today, and Renault has unveiled a new concept model called the Captur, which applies the DeZir's design philosophy on a three-door small crossover with a removable hardtop.The Captur will receive its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Salon.

“It takes as its basis the fundamental design language introduced on the DeZir concept car but adds a more technical dimension – more functional but still highly sensuous," said Renault's director of concept cars, Axel Breun,

The French firm said that for the exterior designer, the main sources of inspiration were athletes and radical sports with styling references to equipment such as helmets, gloves and other protective gear.

The Captur, which is close in size to alliance partner Nissan’s Juke, is crafted from carbon fiber and features a removable hardtop that allows it to transform from a coupe to a convertible crossover. Other highlights include the butterfly doors and extra-large tires fitted to 22-inch black and white rims.

The colorful and futuristic-looking interior that can seat four passengers features fluorescent highlights picked out by a constant stream of light. "My main sources of inspiration were the human body, outdoor sports and urban styling," explains the colour and trim designer, Kana Watanabe. "I wanted Captur to radiate warmth and dynamism."

Power for the Captur comes from a 1.6-liter twin-turbocharged diesel engine concept with 160HP, developed from the new Energy dCi 130HP that will eventually replace the firm's current 1.9 dCi unit. The oil-burner is paired to a dual clutch EDC gearbox, and according to Renault, it emits less than 99g of CO2 per kilometer.

The Captur also comes with numerous technological advancements including a new RX2 mechanical self-locking differential and the Visio-System with a forward-facing camera mounted at the top of the windscreen providing driver-assistance functions.