Renault Vel Satis
The Renault Vel Satis is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer that was launched in 2001 at the Geneva Motorshow to replace the Safrane. The car is distinctively tall, which increases interior space but leaves the car somewhat awkward-looking. It has received a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating and can come in 4 different engine models: a 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharged 2.0-liter; a Nissan-sourced 24-valve, 3.5-liter V6 (4-cylinder,16-valve,2.2-liter direct-injection turbodiesel; and a Perkins-sourced 24-valve 3.0-liter direct-injection turbodiesel. The Vel Satis shares a platform with the Laguna and Espace IV, and is made in the same assembly line in Sandouville, France.
In October of 2004, a 3.0 Diesel Vel Satis was involved in a strange incident where it allegedly accelerated to speeds exceeding 190 km/h (120 mph) on the Autoroute A71 despite the attempts of the driver to stop it. The police, alerted by the driver's phone call, cleared the freeway before the car and eventually stopped it near a toll booth. Renault looked at the car and found no fault with it, although an unlikely cause like an electronic interference from the lorry that was previously passed cannot be fully excluded. Tests by Renault concluded that the car can always be stopped in 2 separate ways, even if the conventional brake method fails: by shifting the Gear selector to Neutral or by repeatedly pressing the cruise control's On/Off button five times in quick succession. Renault has since decided to take legal action against the driver for libel.
In March of 2005, Renault UK chose not to develop a right-hand drive version of the Vel Satis after sales since launch had been underwhelming. This would come only two years after the discontinuation of Renault's Avantime coupé/MPV.
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