Renault Clio RS 200 EDC Drag Races Predecessor and Peugeot 208 GTI

When you’re buying a relatively affordable hot hatch, the sheer amount of performance you are offered is hugely important, especially if you are the kind of person who really likes his or her car, and wants everybody to know just how much.

Currently, the Renault Clio RS 200 EDC, with a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine is the king of the supermini-based hot hatches, when it comes to how much of its power it can put to the ground.

Have $9,200 to Spare? How About this 184 HP Renault Super 5 GT Turbo from eBay

The French are renowned for making great hot hatches, and aside from the selection of modern examples of the genre, there are also a great deal of classic ones to choose from.

A Renault Super 5 GT Turbo (which in some ways, is being revived by the next Twingo) would be a quirky left-field choice, especially in the US and Canada, which is why this red example from eBay looks like a tempting buy.

Renault Executive Says No Cheap Mini for Dacia

Contrary to a series of reports in recent years, it looks like Dacia does not plan to build a smaller model than the Sandero after all. Renault’s chief operating officer Carlos Tavares said in an interview that the Dacia brand would not join Europe’s minicar segment. Tavares noted that the current Dacia range is large enough. "What I want to avoid is to have too many cars," the Renault COO told AutoNews Europe. "We need to be communicating the brand rather than fragmenting our marketing dollars on too many models. Dacia's brand awareness is still quite low," Tavares added.

Renault Denies Report about Mitsubishi Tie-Up

Renault has issued a statement denying plans of a potential tie-up with Mitsubishi, contrary to a report from the Le Figaro newspaper. The French daily wrote that a partnership with Mitsubishi was being discussed in order for Renault to expand in Asia.

“Renault has had discussions in the past with Mitsubishi, for limited cooperation, as we have had with other carmakers. These discussions did not lead to any decisions. There is no cooperation between Renault and Mitsubishi,” reads Renault’s press release.

EuroNCAP: Dacia Finally Improves on Safety with First 4-Stars, Nissan NV200 Fails to Impress

EuroNCAP’s latest test session will surely be remembered by Dacia as the new Sandero brought the Romanian brand its first-ever 4-star rating. The Nissan Evalia (NV200 in North America) was only awarded 3-stars, while the Renault Captur and Chevrolet Trax both achieved the maximum overall 5-star rating.

Dacia got an 80 percent rating for adult occupants, 79 percent for child occupants and 57 percent for pedestrian protection. The Sandero was penalized for the lack of a rear seatbelt reminder and only got a 55 percent rating for its safety assist systems. EuroNCAP noted that “The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact” and “dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger.”