Renault UK will be an official sponsor of Rihanna’s ‘The Loud Tour’ 2011.

Powered by Renault Va Va Voom, Brit Award winner and star of Renault’s new Clio Va Va Voom campaign, Rihanna will perform 23 shows across the UK starting in Belfast on the 1^st October.
Renault UK launched the latest Clio Va Va Voom campaign, created by Publicis London, on 6^th February. The sensational new commercial stars Rihanna alongside Thierry Henry, Dita Von Teese, David Bowie and screen icons Marlon Brando and Audrey Hepburn.  The track is a mix of Rihanna’s new single S&M, rising star Clare Maguire’s Ain’t Nobody and David Bowie’s iconic Space Oddity.
The original Va Va Voom ads starring Thierry Henry struck such a chord that the phrase entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2004, as ‘the quality of being exciting, vigorous and sexually attractive'.  The Clio Renaultsport stars in the new ad campaign as the epitome of Va Va Voom, majestically suspended from a warehouse roof in a dramatic exhibition space.
Phil York, Renault UK Marketing Director said, “Rihanna is in our new Renault Clio ad so it seemed a logical step to be involved with her much anticipated Loud Tour later this year.  We have no doubt that she’ll prove she has plenty of Va Va Voom on stage and are delighted to be supporting her.”
Due to phenomenal demand, two extra dates have recently been added to the much anticipated sell out tour which will cover London, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham and finish in Manchester on 2^nd December.
Rihanna is currently the world’s most successful female singer.  To date she has sold over 45 million singles, 24 million albums, won four Grammys, fifteen billboard awards and four American Music Awards.  She is the only solo female artist in UK chart history to score five number one singles in consecutive years.
Fans of Renault Clio and Rihanna can buy tickets at http://www.livenation.co.uk/, http://www.gigsandtours.com/ and http://www.gigsinscotland.com/. In the next few months, Renault will also be running competitions to win tickets to the almost sold out tour.
To view the new Renault Clio Va Va Voom TV commercial, visit http://www.facebook.com/cliovavavoom.
Fans of the Renault Clio Va Va Voom Facebook page are encouraged each week to vote for their Kings and Queens of Va Va Voom to win prizes packed with Va Va Voom themselves, including a 3D TV, Jimmy Choo shoes or an evening at The Fat Duck.
Further information on Renault is available at http://http://www.renault.co.uk/, Renault TV on Sky Guide 883 and Freesat 651, or by following on twitter @renaultuk.

RENAULT BIRMINGHAM LAUNCHES NEW PRO+ BUSINESS CENTRE

Renault Birmingham has launched a brand new one-stop-shop for local businesses with its new Renault Pro+ centre.

This weekend marked the official opening of the new Pro+ centre at the Digbeth-based dealership providing a dedicated service for Birmingham firms and commercial vehicle users.

Led by manager Rod Sheead, Renault Birmingham’s Pro+ centre is one of more than 20 that have opened up around the country recently with each site providing everything including technical expertise, advice on finance and conversion options, and of course a large demonstration and display selection.

Renault Pro+ customers can also expect specialist business sales and Aftersales advisors, diagnostic work to be undertaken within an hour, and that a personalised finance proposal can be formulated within 48 hours.

Pro+ manager Rod Sheead said: “As the number one light commercial vehicle brand in Europe for more than 10 years, Renault understands the needs of all business users whether they have one van or an entire fleet.

“We’re confident our new Pro+ centre will provide everything business users need under one roof together with extended opening hours and courtesy vehicles to ensure that downtime is reduced to an absolute minimum.”

For more information visit Renault Birmingham on High Street, Digbeth, call 0121 252 7000, or click onto www.renaultretail.co.uk/birmingham.

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1. Renault Birmingham’s Pro+ manager Rod Sheead outside the new centre.

RENAULT SOLIHULL ONCE AGAIN SPRINTS INTO ACTION FOR KNOWLE FUN RUN

For the second consecutive year Renault Solihull is showing its support for the 28^th annual Knowle Fun Run on Sunday, 15^th May – continuing its long-standing work in the local community.

In addition to sponsoring the Renault Solihull Barons ice-hockey team for the past three years, the Stratford Road dealership is once again backing the five-mile charity fun-run organised by the Knowle and Dorridge Lions.

More than 2,000 runners took part in 2010 raising around £40,000 for good causes with this year’s benefactors being Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, The Stroke Association, Dorridge & Knowle Scouts as well as other local charities.

As well as financial support, Renault Solihull has also generously donated the prize of the weekend loan of a Renault Mégane to the first ‘local’ winner to cross the finish line.

Dave Carter from Knowle and Dorridge Lions, said: “We’re very grateful to once again have the support of Renault Solihull together with their prize donation which will give an added incentive to all the local runners taking part.”

He added: “We are expecting places to fill quickly so we’re urging people to get their registration form in soon to avoid disappointment.”

Alex Leigh, Sales Manager at Renault Solihull, said: “It’s great that we’ve been able to continue our work in the local community and support this fantastic event. The staff at Renault Solihull are also considering putting a team together and entering the fun run but some may have to do some training beforehand!”

To enter the Knowle Fun Run or for further information simply visit www.knowlefunrun.org.uk. Alternatively for more information on Renault Solihull on Stratford Road call 0121 254 7000 or log onto www.renaultretail.co.uk. 

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Picture shows action from last year’s Knowle Fun Run which was also sponsored by Renault Solihull.

FLEETDOWN UTD U11S GET INTO TOP GEAR AHEAD THANKS TO RENAULT ORPINGTON!

FLEETDOWN UTD U11S GET INTO TOP GEAR AHEAD THANKS TO RENAULT ORPINGTON!

Young players from Fleetdown United are motoring into top gear thanks to the recent donation of new training tops from Renault Orpington.

The dealership, situated just down the road from the club’s home in Dartford, has supplied each player in the U11s team with a smart new track suit top to help them stay warm during training sessions, and has also given the club a set of bibs for practice games.

The tops seem to be helping as the team went on to beat local side Eltham Lions 4-0 at the weekend!

Angelo Costantino, service manager at Renault Orpington, handed over the tops at a recent training session.

He said: “It’s always a pleasure to do something to help local youngsters who want to get involved in sport. We were delighted to provide new training tops and look forward to a long-lasting relationship with the side. We wish them all the best for the remainder of the season!”

For more information, visit Renault Orpington on Crofton Road (01689 308 000) or click onto www.renaultretail.co.uk /Orpington

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1.    Players from Fleetdown United under 11s try on their new training tops at a recent practice session. They are pictured with Renault Orpington service manager Angelo Costantino (far left) and back row, Andy White ( coach ) Jamie Cadden ( manager ) and Dave Higgins ( coach ). Captain Tom Higgins (11yrs) is pictured in the foreground showing the reverse of the tops.

National Apprenticeship Week -Mitchells Renault in Great Yarmouth!

MITCHELLS RENAULT’S APPRENTICES SHINE IN NATIONAL APPRENTICE WEEK!

Two apprentices at Mitchells Renault are proving that apprenticeships are still alive and well in the modern workplace.

Grant Osben, aged 18, from Bradwell and Scott Smith, aged 19, from Lowestoft and work at the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft branches respectively and both are in their second year of a three-year course which includes on-the-job training and classroom-based instruction.

Alan Pegg, service manager at Mitchells Great Yarmouth added: “Grant has done extremely well, and the apprenticeship has proved to be very beneficial to him and also to the team here in the workshop. The Renault training course is excellent, giving a thorough training in all the skills required to become a technician working with the Renault brand”

Matthew Huke-Jenner, dealer principal at Mitchells Renault added: “This week is National Apprenticeship Week and a time when all eyes are on apprenticeships, so it’s great to review the benefit that Scott and Grant and apprentices like them have brought to the business.

“Here at Mitchells Renault, staff training has always been a priority and essential in ensuring that we offer our customers the very highest standards of customer care, so investing in the lads’ training has brought enormous value to businesses such as ours by ensuring a high skill level, productivity and also helps with staff retention.”

Renault apprenticeships last three years and combine workshop experience at a Renault dealership with classroom training. The apprenticeship leads to a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level Three technical certificate that is internationally recognised by the motor industry.

For more information, visit Mitchells of Lowestoft on Long Road, Lowestoft (01502 500950) or Mitchells Great Yarmouth, Suffolk Road, Great Yarmouth, (01493 412140). Alternatively, click onto http://www.mitchellsrenault.co.uk/ or www.apprenticeships.org.uk

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GUNG HEI FA CHOI!

GUNG HEI FA CHOI! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Gung hei fa choi!

Happy Chinese New Year from [Renault dealer name] and welcome to the year of the rabbit! People born in the year of the rabbit are said to be popular and full of life and enthusiasm, with a reputation for being fun-loving.

RABBIT
There’s no better example of this than in Renault’s recent advertising campaign which sees a group of Rabbid Rabbits who undertake a “Raving Mad” world tour in the New Grand Scénic.

The Rabbid Rabbit characters come from the Ubisoft Wii game, Rayman Raving Rabbids, (Rayman contre les Lapins Crétins) and capture a Grand Scénic before putting it through a series of tests, checking out the spacious storage arrangements, TomTom satellite navigation, how to configure the seven seats and how to use the rear view camera.

DRAGON

Those born in the year of the dragon are said to be innovative, enterprising and passionate. They like to be one step ahead of the crowd, making a Wind Roadster a great choice for a dragon. Wind Roadster is a compact two-seat coupé-roadster with a unique and ingenious, electrically-operated roof system, which pivots open in just 12 seconds. Incredibly, the capacity of the boot is the same no matter whether the roof is up or down. There are currently offers of up to £3,000 available on the Wind Roadster in Renault’s internet sale at www.renault.co.uk or directly from Renault [dealer name]

SNAKE

Snakes are romantic and deep-thinking, wise and charismatic. Who could fail to be charmed by the snake or by the brand new Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet? The stunning coupé combines elegance with the thrills of driving a drop-top. The Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet has a large, folding glass roof and comes with efficient and eco-friendly powertrains, including the EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) transmission.

Horse

Horses, unsurprisingly, are hard working and very independent – just like the Master Van, which is the flagship of Europe’s number one van manufacturer range. It’s been praised for is good looks, ergonomically designed cabin and huge payload capacity.

SHEEP

Sheep are said to be charming, elegant and artistic. They do like material comforts though, which makes the Laguna a great choice. Laguna comes in Sport Tourer, Hatch or Coupé guise and all are renowned for their generous equipment levels, which can be costly extras with other manufacturers.

MONKEY

The monkey is highly intelligent and well-liked by everyone, which means they need plenty of seats. How about the Renault Espace? The Espace was the first-ever MPV and launched the segment more than 20 yeas ago. Even now, the Espace is still the master of the genre and has seven seats which seat seven adults in comfort. As you’d expect, the Espace is just one of 12 cars in the Renault range to have the maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. There’s also Carminat TomTom® Live satellite navigation systems as standard across the range.

Rooster

Roosters are hard-working, definite about their decisions and no nonsense, very much like the Espace’s smaller sibling Modus. The winner of the ‘best small MPV’ category at the Green Car Awards proves popular with those who like a mini-MPV with a high driving position, plenty of headroom and the flexibility to move the back seats to make the boot larger.

DOG

Dogs are honest and faithful to those they love but they tend to worry too much. To put their minds at rest, Renault has recently launched the new Renault Limited Edition Bizu which comes in four models: Twingo, Clio,  Mégane and Scénic. Bluetooth connectivity is standard across the range as are electric front windows, and ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) ensuring there is no compromise on your comfort and safety. And with prices from £6,595 for Twingo Bizu; £8.595 for Clio Bizu; £11,595 for Mégane Bizu  and £12,595 for Scénic Bizu, there really is nothing to worry about!

Pig

Pigs are extremely honest and make friends for life. Many people have made friends with the Mégane Hatch which is a favourite with families.

RAT

Rats are said to be imaginative, charming and very generous. Many people have been charmed by the ever-popular Clio and there’s a weekend of Va Va Voom coming up at your dealer from 11^th to 14^th February!

OX
Those born in the year of the Ox are great leaders and inspire confidence – just like the Kangoo!

TIGER

Tigers are said to be bold and adventurous, and are bestowed with initiative and charm. They tend to make good bosses, explorers or racing drivers. That makes the Renaultsport range perfect for them. Check out the multi award-winning Mégane Renaultsport 250 which has been crowned What Car?’s Best Hot Hatch.

TOP DOWN MOTORING FOR DENVILLES DRIVING SCHOOL!

NEWS FROM HEMMING CHICHESTER

For immediate release: Tuesday, 1^st February 2011

TOP DOWN MOTORING FOR DENVILLES DRIVING SCHOOL WITH MÉGANE COUPÉ-CABRIOLET!

Now there’s no need to wait until you’ve passed your driving test to drive the beautiful Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet after one of Chichester’s driving schools purchased one for its customers to learn in style!

Richard Dickin of Denvilles Driving School, based in Havant and covering Portsmouth and Chichester, recently took delivery of the unusual driving school car from Hemming Renault in Terminus Road after receiving approval from a local senior examiner, and has already received great feedback from his pupils.

 He said: “I was teaching my pupils in a Clio which is safe and economical, but when the time came to renew, I knew that I’ve always wanted to drive a convertible and I’ve always wanted to work outdoors!

“The Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet is the best car I’ve had in a long time; it’s dynamic, modern and a joy to drive. The pupils have been equally really chuffed with it; some of them asking if we can have the lesson with the top down!”

Richard Hemming, managing director at Hemming Renault, handed over the keys to Richard, said: “Renault runs a very successful driving school programme which gives driving instructors special offers on cars such as the Twingo and Clio models. However, Richard has chosen the Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet for his business which is a real head turner and actually makes a great driving school car as it’s reliable, comfortable, very easy-to-drive and a safe environment for both the student and the instructor. We wish his pupils the best of luck in their learning!”

For more information, visit Hemming Chichester on Terminus Road, Chichester or call 01243 782000. Alternatively, click onto www.hemmingchichester.co.uk

For more information on Renault’s driving school programme, click onto www.renault.co.uk/business/drivinginstructors

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Richard Hemming, managing director of Hemming Renault, hands over the keys to the Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet to Richard Dickin of Denvilles Driving School.