[EDITED VERSION 13 Feb] Renault will stop making the Laguna range when it reaches the end of its lifespan, to concentrate more on fuel-efficient small cars. It’s a complete admission of defeat: in 2006 it announced that it would launch five big cars by the end of 09. Instead it now has no firm long-term plans.
It’s another example of the global economic malaise. And also an admission of what we probably all knew: that people won’t buy big expensive cars from mass-market brands. Even Citroen’s DS plans don’t include a C6-sized car.
As we reported in September, the new Espace is on hold too.
The big five Renault promised to build, by the way, are the Laguna, Laguna estate, Laguna coupe, next Espace, and something else stillborn that was meant to be more luxuriuous.
The only car Renault will sell as a replacement is the next version of the SM5. This is made by its Korean subsidiary Samsung Motors, which also makes the Renault Koleos – ever seen one of those?.
The SM5 just won’t do the job as replacement, even wearing Renault badges. It’s anonymous. And it’s a saloon. We don’t have any evidence that the next one will be much different. And the French don’t really like saloons, and no-one else likes big cars with French badges.
(If you’re interested in the history of the edit, it goes like this. Originally I posted that the Laguna would die in 2010.I’d run that date past a Renault spokesman. That was also his understanding of Renault chief Carlos Ghosn’s latest position. Today Renault told me that no, in fact the Laguna is planned to carry on for a few more years than that. But things are clearly changing so fast in the industry at the moment that plans are made and changed at such a hectic rate that the information tumbles out in a disorderly fashion. The Foreman hates to get his facts wrong, and always checks them before he runs them, so he’s happy to put hings right here.)
renault needs to just give up and die were all sick of there pathetic build quality and the amount of young girls being injured when there really badly designed clio ends up in a ditch.
At last a car manufacture who isn’t running blind with it’s fingers in their ears.
If Renault can admit it’s direction is now wrong why can’t others? I actually quite like the Kolos, better looking than the Nissan it’s based upon. Hopefully Renault will reconisder on the Laguna coupe and give it a proper chance in the market.
Sorry to hear that. But once crysis is fully over, they’ll start talking about big cars again.
Now, can some1 explain me this: “people won’t buy big expensive cars from mass-market brands”? Like people don’t already buy such cars from such companies? (Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Ford…)
And finaly, cars aren’t for crashing, they are means of transport. And girls should firstly learn to drive.
Obelix – by ‘mass brands’ I mean Vauxhall, Ford, Toyota, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot etc. In the big-car segments, their sales have long been losing out to the ‘premium brands’, mostly Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and (in Britain but not mainland Europe) Lexus. The premium makers tend to offer less power, less equipment and less space than the mass brands for the same price. Why do people choose the premium brands? Some say it’s badge snobbery. Some say it’s because the cars, being more expensive, are higher quality. (Though in fact they don’t actually do better in reliability surveys, except Lexus.)
What a shame. I’ve always been a fan of large-ish French cars.
They’ll probably go the way of sister Nissan when they did away with the Primera, and just offer several dozen unappealing pseudo-SUVs and MPVs in various sizes.
Another nail in the coffin of non-German large family car choice.
THat pretty much means that Ford will soon have the large MPV market all to themselves with the Galaxy.
I hope that Samsung stays in Korea. And no, I haven’t seen a single Koleos, even at the gates of my sisters primary school.
ooooooooooooooooooooh dear. how dreary and uninteresting is that SM5??? I mean i know a laguna isn’t exactly breathtaking but that thing has me going for an MP5…
I hope they don’t kill the Laguna Coupe it doesn’t look too bad but not as good as the concept. Other than losing the ground breaking Espace I think it’s a good thing because they can concentrate on funky little cars and BUILDING THEM WELL!!
I saw a Koleos yesterday!! Wish I hadn’t though, ugly heap…
So Renault are going to kill off the car that started the MPV revolution? Nah, they’ll just postpone it until the market picks up and make an amazing comeback that was planned all along.
I’m quite pleased about all the other downsizing though, not just from Renault. Cars are too fat lately and smaller, nimbler, lighter, faster cars are always a step up in my opinion. Even the current Focus/Golf/Bravo are far too big.
Just saw my first Koleos on the road today, black, still ugly.
The most shocking news out of this is that they won’t be replacing the Espace. That does sell pretty well, and is pretty much ( or had been, up to the Galaxys arrival )THE segment leader. It is also probably the closest to a true luxury car Renault has gotten to in the last 10/15 years. It is truly a shame.
BTW, that little Samsung number seen above is already on sale in middle eastern markets as the Renault Safrane, it’s its replacemente that will get to Europe.
My Dad has had two Renault Espaces, the first of which was written off when tosser in a Merc sent him rolling down the Scotswood road, and throughout the past 6 years, the problem has not been build quality. The first Espace (gen 2) was notoriously unreliable, but the second one (current gen 3) is really good, and terrific for long journeys. Its terrible that the big Renaults have been binned.
sm5 sounds kinky
..back to the 5 Turbo renault !!! ps obelix, why do french means of transport break down ever so often ? And if they aren´t made for crashing( a part of the whole driving pack of cards.. ) than why are euro ncap safety tests so highly regarded as the only positive feature of anything french lately ? just wondering..
renault, touch pas s´il vous plait:D
but sad news all the same..does that mean we wont be seeing any new scenics banged into a solid block of concrete in super slow mo anymore ? shame.. hehehe
It’s not a bad move, it’ll hopefully see them through a few bad years. Then they can bring back the Vel Satis, hussah! Pity about the Laguna Coupé though, it looks like a good alternative to an A5 if you want to save a few grand and not drive the wheels off it. Still, if they’re cutting it dead then they’ll have cult status in a few years, small numbers, good looking and what not. I guess the good die young.
As for Koleos, I think I see them everyday, at least once. Must be some my neighbour, working for Renault, just driving the car, showing it off. And btw, I’m in Belgrade, Serbia. So, I guess French TG readers should see Koleos even more?
@American Idol – thats just prejugments, like those “America is best nation”, etc. And to answer your question, they crash:
A. (i guess) the biggest part of French cars are (European) B and C segment cars, so when they crash, that hurts more, than with some bigger cars (like your i-have-ego-problems-my-pr ide-is-too-small-so-i’ll- have-this-big SUV).
B. Those cars drive mostly young people – (read) unexperienced, so they crash more.
Ive just returned back to Brisbane from a great week in Sydney, and the main reason for the trip to Sydney was to see Top Gear Live.
What a waste of money front row seats as well.
This was a hybrid show lacked everything.
It was like trade show full of shitty ads and low energy presenters looking sadly hungover.
i have been a great fan of Top Gear for years but the boys let me down.
Disappointed Derek, you might be better off posting your comment here
http://transmission.blogs .topgear.com/
The Foreman has very little connection with the TV show (he’s far too ugly for the screen) and has never been to Australia. Cheers.
What does that mean for the F1 team then, is that classed as a small car?
Yes, any F1 won’t take more than one passenger, nor is there any luggage space. It weighs in at just er, 600kg? Something like that. With KERS, it might be called hybrid and green and stuff… It isn’t the fastest of it’s class off the line either. Should be very fuel efficient, right?
Shame about the Espace. It was the first MPV in Europe: an icon. I remember all the amazement back then in ‘84. I liked driving it, especially the big ones.
Does anyone know if these cars will be returned if the crisis is over? I don’t particularly mind seeing the espace go….I’ve been held up in too many of their school-run mum traffic jams to feel sorry that it’s gone.
I was just about to place an order for a Laguna Estate (that’s what they call it in France)
Time to drag all the other brochures back out of the bin then
obelix,I´m actually english UK, oxfordshire why you resent americans so much doesn´t interest me really, I guess you have your preconceptions.. I´ve been to belgrade, nice proud city and found most serbs to be cool.. renaults however are below the standard I´m used to, sorry… I saw a lot of them over there, Tito had great french conections, I guess it´s part of the legacy…
The Espace will be replaced!
by a L´espace
forgive the pun, couldn´t resist..
lol nvm….i was bored, so i just wrote something lol
The French making autos?? The French dabbling in “engineering?” That’s like “British Cuisine”; or “Irish Temperance”; or “Russian Sobriety”; or “German Compassion”; or “Italian Lovers.” Come to think of it, the last one doesn’t belong on the list.
It’s a shame in my opinion, that they’re axing the Laguna and Espace. Considering the Espace was such a hit for Renault originally, I’m surprised they’ve decided to axe it. And they’re not bringing that little Kangoo Be Bop to the UK, either! Renault are losing it. And that’s a shame. Just five years ago, they were wowing everyone with their wacky designs – Megane, Modus, Avantime, Vel Satis, MkII Laguna. And now they’re considering selling that horrid Samsung thing over here. AND they’ve messed up the Clio. AND they’ve messed up the five-door Megane. AND they messed up the Twingo! Carlos Ghosn has made an absolutely monumental mess at Renault. Yes, he’s done good with Nissan, but Renault don’t need him. Otherwise things are going to get a lot worse. In fact in my opinion, the only characterful small car in Renault’s range nowadays is the Modus. That, and the Megane and Laguna Coupes are good looking. We need more of this. Not Carlos Ghosn. Grr!
Was talking to a Renault UK employee the other day – the real reason is that they cannot sell the Laguna in any quantity. This isn’t only due to the financial climate but also the fact that the last model had such horrifc reliabilty problems that most fleets simply will not touch them again. However, my source also says that the Laguna 3 warranty claim level is on a par with both the Mondeo and Avensis so it would seem they have solved the issues – who is going to risk buying them again though?
Shame, the coupe is a good looking car.
I come from a part of the world (south-west Wales) where everyone seems to drive Renaults, so there are plenty of Lagunas around here. Even so, I’ve only seen a Koleos on the road twice.
Hardly surprising. Who exactly would decide, when they’re buying a car, that what they really want is a Renault SUV? More than that, a Renault SUV that isn’t particularly big and doesn’t really look like an SUV?
It looks to me as if Renault have no idea what brand image they’re trying to go for. They’ve set up their sister brand Nissan to make practically nothing but SUVs, so why would they launch a car that will compete with those models? It’s like British Leyland all over again.
Renault is also a good example of a company that has gradually increased the size of its models to the point that they should really re-name most of them. The Twingo is now Clio-sized, the Clio is now a Megane and the Megane is almost a Laguna. The Laguna was once a pretty humble rep car, but it’s slowly been pushed into the dangerous territory of “big upmarket Renault.”
Renault shouldn’t worry too much, though. The French government will always keep them afloat, and at least they can concentrate on selling the Clio and Megane, which they know people want to buy. It could be worse – they could always be Mercedes, trying to sell their THIRD different HIDEOUS looking four-wheel drive model and then imagining that because they’re a “premium maker”, it’s bound to make them a profit.
This car simply looks terrible
“Kill renault” are you stupid? Currently, all cars made by Renault have 5 star safety rating, including Clio. Renault makes possibly the safest cars in the world. And the build quality has also improved a lot.