Renault introduces its new 'Renault eco²' range which is intended to inform customers about its commitment to offering ecological, economical vehicles as part of its contribution to safeguarding the environment.

Renault eco² vehicles meet three global environmental standards: they are produced in an ISO-14001-certified plant, their CO2 emissions do not exceed 140g/km (or are biofuel-compatible) and, in addition to being 95% reusable at the end of their life, at least 5% of the plastics they contain have been recycled.

As well as being ecological, Renault eco² vehicles are economical to buy. Because they are affordable to the majority of customers, the progress they represent will lead to significant gains for the environment.

The Renault eco² appellation underpins Renault’s environmentally friendly approach by certifying that the vehicles covered comply with important ecological and economical criteria including that they are Ecological because the environmental impact of such vehicles is kept to a minimum when they are designed, manufactured and driven on the roads, as well as at the end of their useful life, and that they are economical because they are affordable and fuel-efficient.
    
Downsizing conventional petrol and diesel engines continues to stand out as one of the most cost-effective ways of curbing fuel consumption and, thereby, greenhouse gas emissions. This is a field in which Renault excels and combines three benefits. It essentially involves reducing the cubic capacity of an engine without detracting from its performance thanks to the use of appropriate technology, e.g. the addition of a turbocharger or a switch to direct fuel injection. In other words, a 1.9-litre diesel engine with an output of 93hp has now been replaced by a more fuel-efficient, 1.5-litre turbocharged powerplant delivering 105hp.

In 1993 a 93hp 1.9-litre Renault 19 DT could make the 748km journey from Paris to Montpellier in the south of France with an average fuel consumption of 6.5 litres/100km and 172g/km of CO2. Today, a 105hp Mégane 1.5 dCi can drive the 1,100km from Paris to Venice with average fuel consumption of 4.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 120g/km.

Renault also considers biofuels as one of the most effective ways of controlling CO2 emissions in the medium term. Biofuels are ecologically efficient because they are derived from vegetable matter – a renewable, diversified energy source – and also economically efficient because they require limited development costs and vehicles are affordable for most customers.  Furthermore they reduce energy dependency on fossil fuels.
The availability of a Mégane that can run on E85 bioethanol alongside its B30-biodiesel-powered light commercial vehicles reasserts Renault's commitment to biofuels.