Renault's renewed assault on the premium car sector begins today, with this luxurious Nepta showcar. It's a vast, opulent convertible, designed to waft you across continents as if the golden age of motoring hadn't been superseded by the budget airline revolution.
The Nepta is Renault's attention-seeking concept for this month's Paris motor show. Unsually for La Regie, it has a twin-turbocharged V6 mounted longitudinally and turning the rear wheels. Show car flight of fancy or a taste of things to come?
Renault has publicly committed to launching five luxury cars between 2007 and 2009, and doubling top-end output to 200,000 cars a year. The Nepta lays down a marker for Renault's premium push. But will any of the production cars be rear-drive, and will the Nepta be one of them...?
