Four-wheel-steering seems to pop up every now and then, and then disappears. Honda offered it on the Prelude for a while, and more recently it was offered on the full-size GM pickups and SUVs. Frankly, I think it's a great idea, especially for large vehicles like a pickup truck, as the turning circle was cut down to almost that of a small car. That's a huge benefit when maneuvering those beasts. There are other examples too; I've seen some lawn tractors with this feature. The problem, however, was the cost and complexity were just too much for customers to stomach. It's a shame, really.

Now Renault will offer four-wheel steering on the Renault Laguna GT, but this time it's electric, not mechanical. Will they succeed where others have failed?

Full story here.

Surely in what must be the most complicated doors ever, Renault displayed a Megane concept with "Dragonfly Doors" at Geneva. While sorta gullwing-like, these doors open upward and appear to be a real advantage in tight quarters, where a traditional (if that term can be used) gullwing door would not work.

Full story here.

Yep, that headline is correct. Well almost correct, as it is "AB Volvo," the truck company that is considering buying Volvo cars. Confused?

Up and until 1999, Volvo truck and Volvo car were one and the same company. Then the Volvo car division was bought by Ford. Now, with Ford's PAG up for grabs, Volvo truck thinks it might again be a good idea to unite the two separate Volvos. Well, not all of Volvo cars, as AB Volvo is thinking of buying only 10 to 20 percent of Volvo cars. Still confused?

Industry analysts, however, are not so sure tis is a good idea.

"This looks like a bad solution for Volvo's shareholders as there is no real industrial logic in buying a stake (in Volvo Cars) ... I think it would be very strange if they would take such a step", Danske Equities analyst Henrik Breum said.

...And to add a touch more confusion, Renault is also interested in buying Volvo (cars that is).

Full story here and here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Will Volvo Cars Wind Up Back Under Swedish Ownership?

The Renault-Samsung QMX was just introduced at the Seoul Auto Show. It's a small SUV, powered by a Renault 1.7 turbo-diesel engine putting out 177 hp. Not sure if that's a misprint, as it seems to be a lot for such a small (turbo-diesel) engine.

Full story here.

The new Renault Twingo is positioned just below the Clio. It's a tiny car (141.1 inches long, which is 4 inches shorter than a Mini Cooper), and is sure to heat up the A-car segment wars in Europe.

The top model GT gets a 1200c turbo engine putting out 100 horsepower. A 75 horsepower 1200cc non-turbo is also available, along with a diesel called the 1.5 dCi which is good for 65 hp, and a base 1.2 liter engine with 60 hp, which Renault says is a carryover from the old Twingo.

In addition to a manual gearbox, Renault is offering something called the "Quickshift robotized gearbox" with that base 1.2-liter engine, and damn if it doesn't sound like a sequential manual. From the press kit: "Based on a manual gearbox and equipped with an electrohydraulic shift system, it can be used in either automatic (with no driver intervention) or manual flick-shift mode."

While small on the outside, it's big on the inside. Contributing to that room are four seats that slide fore and aft. As might be expected from a car aimed at the young and/or young at heart, it can be equipped to handle iPods and other musical devices. Finally, the Twingo is also 80% recyclable

Full story here.

The Queen of England has just knighted Carlos Ghosn for his efforts towards improving the relationship between Japan and the UK.

"I'm proud and I'm humbled, and this is an acknowledgment of our 5,600 employees in the UK," said Ghosn, speaking at the knighthood ceremony at the British embassy in Tokyo.

So what's next for Ghosn? Sainthood?

Full story here.

There are questions being raised in some sectors in the auto industry as to whether Carlos Ghosn has bitten off too much to chew by trying to manage two very large corporations. Predictions are that Nissan's profits will fall for fiscal year 2007, and that Ghosn is spending too much time trying to fix Nissan at Renault's expense.

L’Expansion, a French investment magazine and website, refers to “certain specialists in the automotive sector,” who believe Nissan’s problems could be due to the fact Ghosn has been chairman of both companies since Louis Schweitzer retired from managing Renault.

“The man is not gifted with the ability to be ubiquitous,” writes the L’Expansion. “In other words, he is naturally less available for the one company as for the other.” And just a few months ago he was hoping to add GM to the mix...

Full story here.

Nissan-Renault chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn predicts a grim year for automakers this year.

Ghosn told a group of reporters at the Detroit auto show that he predicts sales will drop to 16 million vehicles in 2007, from this year's 16.56 million, a number that was lower than Nissan had forecasted.

Worse, Ghosn said all automakers will be in their third year of rising commodity prices, which must be absorbed by automakers and can't be recovered by increasing the price of vehicles. Further, it isn't merely a U.S. phenomenon; Ghosn expects sales to be lower and pressures to heighten in all of the developed markets of the world, which account for about two-thirds of all vehicle sales.

 "That's going to have serious consequences for all automakers," Ghosn said. Such pressure will cause company failures and force more consolidation in the auto industry.

Of course, Ghosn projects Nissan will fare better than others.

—Michelle Krebs

Carlos Ghosns is on the march again. The CEO reminded managers of Renault's commitment to boost its profit margin by 50 percent by 2009—or else!

"Commitment is a strong word," one manager piped up, "and circumstances have changed" since the marching orders were delivered earlier this year.
"It's not a target," snapped Mr. Ghosn, who considers the profit-margin increase mandatory. "Either management performs or it's out -- and that applies to me as well."

So does that really mean if Renault can't deliver, Ghosn and his gang will be gone? Stay tuned...

Not exactly a huge surprise here, as rumors of the mega-alliance had hit a roadblock some time ago. So now the only real news is that it is "official." I guess you could also consider that it happened so quickly is also news. Just the other day they said the talks would continue until mid-October—and today is just the 4th, which is hardly the middle of the month.

It's also another strikeout for Kirk Kerkorian, who had started the ball
rolling here a few months back. Remember his failed takeover attempt of Chrysler a few years back? So, does this mean Carlos Ghosn and his
gang will be courting Bill Ford and his gang? Stay tuned folks, as this
soap opera likely ain't over yet...

In any event, here's Inside Line's take on the situation.