Coupé heaven from Renault

Renault underlined its commitment to coupés at the Geneva Show by showing a new Mégane Coupé Concept.

The show car follows the Laguna Coupé Concept, that car expected to be shown in production guise in the near future and be little changed from its concept.

Although Renault is claiming that the Mégane Coupé Concept previews a new compact coupé, it's likely that many of the show car's more unusual features would have to be reigned in on any production model.

The most obvious features that would, sadly, be unlikely to reach production are the concept's innovative 'dragonfly' style doors.

Renault's Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, Patrick le Quement, calls the doors 'a little touch of magic which contributes to the dream factor associated with the automobile.'

They'll likely remain a dream so far as production goes, the two-stage roof-hinged doors certain to be far too costly to produce on a volume, mainstream model.

However, many of the concept's features are likely to reach the production car, the stop-start system a virtual certainty in these environmentally conscious times.

As with all concepts, the interior, with its touch-screen instrumentation and lacquer seat frames is likely to be replaced by a more conventional interior.

The novel mobile phone operated locks and ignition could however become a production reality, Renault one of the first firms to offer keyless entry and ignition in the mainstream market.

With a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine delivering 200bhp, Renault claims the Mégane Coupé Concept is capable of a 0-62mph time of just 7.2 seconds.

Despite the sporting performance though, the use of a start-stop system means that emissions and fuel consumption are kept low.

Renault claims a potential combined economy figure of around 43mpg, while emissions are just 154g/km.

A cool, green coupé? Let's hope Renault is brave enough to build it with as few styling changes as possible.

Kyle Fortune