The Fiat 2010 New Year commercial is less about wishing you a Happy New Year and more about showing you the hopes for the Fiat-Chrysler deal for 2010. With a few historic images, very Italian in nature, we’re taken to the Fiat 500 cruising some world famous American sites. It’s a strange video for the local Italian audience, as if they needed convincing about the Fiat-Chrysler deal.

Another European manufacturer focussed on something more ecological for the New Year, with Renault producing a New Year video about its electric cars. With highly recognisable footage from recreation to environmental disasters, the Renault commercial closes with a brief look at the Renault Zoe: one of the family of Renault electrics made up of the Twizy, Fluence and Z.E. See the video after the jump.

Continue reading: Fiat and Renault: New Year commercials on Chrysler deal and electric cars

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The Renault electric concept vehicles presented at Frankfurt were Twizy, Zoe, Fluence and the Z.E previously seen at Paris. The company has ambitious plans for its range of electric vehicles, stating that they will be widespread in the future. If things go according to plan, the Z.E cars, currently in concept form, will be available on the market in 2011, in a comprehensive range of European zero emissions vehicles.

The problem with most car companies committing to electric vehicles is, as always, the lack of infrastructure and articulated plans by government and industry to make infrastructure available. And so, Renault will be building its electric vehicles with a standard recharge time of between four and eight hours. The Z.E cars will all be equipped with external recharge points, and will even be fitted with a ‘Quickdrop’ system meaning the entire battery package can be substituted in three minutes.

The claims of “widespread” dominance of the market probably won’t happen with the Renault Twizy, the most original of the four prototypes. We find it hard to see how this car, based on motorcycle concepts (and, lets face it, motorcycle comfort, too). Despite this, it has a 2012 debut planned, with its 15kW motor. We think it may not see the light, but the market, and the car itself, may change in that time.

Continue reading: Renault electric concepts from Frankfurt

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We give you these incredible shots of the Renault Z.E concept car, which next to the Megane’s more coventional colours stands out for its phosphorescent interior. The glowing interior puts me in mind of a fire fly, which would be in line with the environmental friendliness of this concept car.

The compact car, whose acronym means Zero Emissions, represents and electric car of a simple and effective nature. The stylistic point of departure was that of the Kangoo Be Bop, with the aim of reducing the impact of lights, heating and air conditioning on the car’s consumption and autonomy. The protagonist is the 70 kw electric engine with 226 Nm of torque, and lithium ion batteries.

Continue reading: Renault Z.E. concept: electric cars at Paris show

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