Photo: Renault
For those of you who believe Renault hasn't made a truly cool car in decades, there was only one ray of hope, the sportscar which was being developed by the French together with Caterham.
However, as sweet as the alliance sounded, the biggest French automobile company and one the smallest British carmakers were never going to be a good match. Autocar's latest report suggests the the pair are in a bad way and might announce they will go their separate ways very shortly.
Why are Renault and Caterham not getting along any more? A clue can be found in a report from about a month ago, which suggested the Brits have successfully finished the design of their car but are being forced to go along with Renault's postponement of the project. Apparently, the new Alpine has been shown to potential customers with bad reviews ensuing. Renault is thus starting a re-think of design, causing the two sportscars to be delayed one year towards the end of 2016.
Understandably, Caterham might not be too pleased with this, especially since the small British company is heavily depending on the project. Renault, which is one of Europe's largest brands, needs to get the revival of the Alpine brand just right.
As a reminder, the alliance between the two companies was signed in 2012, its end goal being two slightly different sportscar built on the same platform. Details are limited, but it seems Renault wants to make its version slightly softer and posher, targeting the Porsche Boxster. Caterham meanwhile wants a hardcore track tool with lap times being its main focus.
Who knows, maybe this whole rumor might be completely incorrect and the project is still on track. Until all the rumors pan out, we can only hope the companies can work it out.
Why are Renault and Caterham not getting along any more? A clue can be found in a report from about a month ago, which suggested the Brits have successfully finished the design of their car but are being forced to go along with Renault's postponement of the project. Apparently, the new Alpine has been shown to potential customers with bad reviews ensuing. Renault is thus starting a re-think of design, causing the two sportscars to be delayed one year towards the end of 2016.
Understandably, Caterham might not be too pleased with this, especially since the small British company is heavily depending on the project. Renault, which is one of Europe's largest brands, needs to get the revival of the Alpine brand just right.
As a reminder, the alliance between the two companies was signed in 2012, its end goal being two slightly different sportscar built on the same platform. Details are limited, but it seems Renault wants to make its version slightly softer and posher, targeting the Porsche Boxster. Caterham meanwhile wants a hardcore track tool with lap times being its main focus.
Who knows, maybe this whole rumor might be completely incorrect and the project is still on track. Until all the rumors pan out, we can only hope the companies can work it out.
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