Renault Shows A New Fluence
Renault shows a facelifted Fluence at the Istanbul Motor Show, November 2-11, 2012. The car receives a new 1.6 16V 115 hp gasoline engine mated to a likewise new X-Tronic CVT.
The car can also be had with a 1.6-liter 110 hp diesel engine.
The car is built at Renault’s Oyak-Renault factory in Bursa, Turkey. It will go on sale in January 2013 in Turkey and will be launched in more than 55 other countries in the course of next year.
The Fluence is what the Euros call a “compact executive car”, first launched in 2009.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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The Fluence sedan is not the Megane in 4-door disguise. They are quite different seen live. I have read in European publications that, in fact, some running gear is common, but the platform is different as it was mainly designed in Korea by Samsung motors. It was just badge engineered as Renault to be sold in Europe and now being built in Turkey (low-wages, no tariffs to be sold in the EU). And doesn't that 1.6-liter + CVT scream "Nissan"?
The trim along the lower part of the doors (with that poorly designed huge block cut-out) is God awful.