As you may well imagine, Volkswagen did very nicely in the European market for 2009, as did Opel and Ford (and there’s no prizes for guessing for which models). There are a couple of surprises though, with Fiat doing very well, but not with the Fiat 500, which makes a nice change, and Peugeot and Renault put in appearances as well. Check out Europe’s top ten cars for 2009 after the jump.

Continue reading: Europe's top ten cars for 2009

Some car trivia for the weekend was required as we get down to the business of Christmas cheer, and in this gallery we take a look at all the Car of the Year models from 1964 to today. This year, the humble Volkswagen Polo took out the title, marking the 47th since the award was incepted. The Car of the Year award is judged by seven European car magazine titles: Autocar in the UK, Stern in Germany, Vi Bilägare in Sweden, Autovisie in the Netherlands, L’Automobile Magazine in France, Auto in Italy, and Autopista in Spain.

The first Car of the Year back in 1964 was the Rover 2000, and things have come a long way since then. The Car of the Year must be a new vehicle that is available to at least five European markets in the year in question. Criteria such as design, comfort, performance, safety, practicality, ecology and economy, price and overall driveability are considered.

Perhaps surprisingly, the brand that has received the most awards in the history of the Car of the Year is Fiat, with a total of nine models, and that’s not including other Fiat Group brands such as Alfa Romeo or Lancia. Following Fiat, the company with the most success has been Renault, winning six times. The Volkswagen Polo for 2010 marks only the second time that Volkswagen has won the prize. After the jump is the full list of Car of the Year models from 1964 to 2010.

Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

Continue reading: Pics: Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

The Renault Gordini brand will be revived with a new Twingo Gordini to be revealed on November 25, ready for the market in spring next year. It will be followed by the Renault Clio Gordini and then a Megane Gordini version. The models will appear alonside the Renault Sport models already available, and will come into direct competition with Abarth and John Cooper Works models.

To celebrate the return of the Gordini brand, here’s a historic gallery for you. The new models will take on the same classic blue tint with two white stripes. The first Renault Gordini model that was produced was the Dauphine Gordini back in 1958, with an 845 engine producing 38 hp. It was the start of a successful brand, with four of five top places in the 1964 Tour de Corsica going to Gordini, leading to the inauguration of the Gordini cup in 1966.

The Gordini looks very much like the French version of the Italian job, and the classic model was the Gordini R8 with four round headlights and the exclusive “bleu de France” livery. The 1964 model of the Corsica rally was equipped with a 1100 engine with 90 hp and a five-speed gearbox. In 1966 the first 1300 Gordini R8 was used with 100 hp. About 11,500 Renault 8 Gordini models were produced, and about 9,000 of these were the 1300 version.

The R8 was replaced by the Renault 12 Gordini in 1971 which had a 1.6-litre engine and 125 hp. Competition models were equipped with a 1.6-litre engine with 160 hp which achieved a top speed of more than 200 km/hr. The last Renault Gordini model produced was the 17 Gordini, which didn’t have the same success as previous models, with production ending in 1979.

Renault Gordini history

Source | Autoblog.it

Continue reading: Renault Gordini historic gallery

Renault is quietly going about its brand evolution, presenting at the Geneva show its updated RS range, along with the Clio and Megane. The Clio will keep its 2.0L aspirated engine at 203 hp, while the Megane will have a new turbo at 250 hp. The new Scenic, and Grand, were also on display, the only difference being their length.

Continue reading: Renault develops brand: models presented at Geneva show

This is not the most exciting video we’ve ever seen; in fact you’re more than halfway through before they actually take this new Renault Clio for a spin. But if you wanted a better look at the little car than yesterday’s Clio spy shots, here’s your chance. Though we feel a greater focus on the zippy nature of the vehicle would have been a better option…

Continue reading: Video: new Renault Clio GT

The Geneva motor show for 2009 will open in about a month’s time and there will be plenty of important debuts to follow. The restyling of the Renault Clio is also expected to be presented, seen here in spy shots from AutoWeek during a promotional video.

On display here is the five door version, showing the significant changes to the look of the car, especially in the front, now similar to the new Megane. In addition to a style update, the Renault Clio will also undergo a technical improvement with the new 1.4 litre TCe at 130hp.

Continue reading: Renault Clio restyling: new spy shots

Renault has released a couple of pictures of the new Clio Estate, the station wagon version of the Clio hatchback, announcing that it will be showing the Clio Estate for the first time at the next Frankfurt auto show.

The Clio Estate is the production version of the Clio Grandtour concept that was shown at the last Geneva auto show. The Clio Estate has 5 doors instead of the three of the Grandtour, a panoramic glass roof that is not integral with the windshield and no LED headlamps.

Compared to the hatchback, the Clio Estate will be 23 cm longer (4,20 meters overall) and it will have a trunk with a capacity of 438 liters (+131) that grows to 1.275 with the rear seats lowered.

The engine range of the Clio Estate should be pretty much the same as that of the hatchback, which has 5 gasoline engines (from 75 to 197 ps) and 3 diesel engines (from 68 to 106 CV).

The main rival of the Clio Estate will be the Peugeot 207 SW. Sales start in the first quarter of 2008.

Continue reading: Renault Clio Estate in Frankfurt