Wearing a helmet painted in his country's colors and with Russia written on the visor, Vladimir Putin is said to have reached speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), showing that he is a man of many talents.

The PM's interest towards the sport is also due to the fact that Russia's bid to hold an F1 event after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was successful as the deal was signed less than a month ago.

By Csaba Daradics

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Building on this success, the company has decided to extend the lineup with the introduction of the Twingo Gordini, which will replace the GT variant. It will be offered with a choice of two engines, a 1.2-liter TCe turbocharged gasoline unit delivering 100-hp, and a 1.4-liter dCi turbo diesel churning out 85-horsepower.

Exterior appointments include specific front and rear bumpers, 15-inch alloy wheels and special badges. There are three available colors to choose from: Malte Blue metallic, Pearlescent Black and Glacier White. The Malte Blue metallic models come with white stripes and details, while the other two colors are matched with Cold Metal Grey stripes and details.

Inside, the Gordini treatment adds special blue and black leather throughout the interior, sports seats, blue rev-counter housing with white background and bezel, aluminum pedals, black lacquer-finish centre console and dark-charcoal leather-trimmed dashboard cowl with visible stitching.

Renault said the Twingo Gordini will be marketed across most of Europe. Order books for the TCe 100hp version are already open in France, with prices starting from €14,800.

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Along with the LEDs, the 2011 Espace models benefit from the introduction of a new Pearl Blue color and freshly designed 17-inch Eptius and Novadis alloy wheels, while Renault also updated the MPV's interior with new trims and upholstery options, plus the addition of a new Carminat TomTom Live real-time satellite navigation system.

The full size MPV is available with two updated 2.0-liter dCi turbo diesels producing 150HP and 175HP, the latter mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The combined cycle CO2 emissions of the base dCi 150 engine has been reduced by 18g/km, from 188g/km to 170g/km, while versions with automatic transmission also get emissions savings, claiming 189g/km of CO2.

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From the looks of it, the Twist's design is awkward enough to be Renault (and I say that in a good way). Its nose is nothing to blow people away style-wise, but it certainly looks the part of an i-Miev competitor. Luckily, that means it can win people over with cuteness.

Besides the apparently tall and spine-straightening seating area designed by chiropractors, the Twist looks ready to go. Even the wheels are a realistic size, unlike a lot of renderings put out there.

Also, the rear is distinctly Renault, utilizing a vertical rear windscreen and the bulbous trunk. My favorite bit by far is the spoiler that curves up from the rear quarters and along the roof, as well as the dual exhaust tips (even if it's an electric car, they look just right).

Now, if only Renault would build it...

By Phil Alex

Images / Design: David Cardoso

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The facelift includes some minor exterior tweaks such as the reworked fascia with new headlamps and a restyled bumper incorporating a more prominent grille, plus equipment improvements and a series of engine enhancements that result in reduced emissions and greater fuel economy across the range.

For the 2011 model year, the engine line-up includes fully Euro 5-compliant engines, plus ten 'eco²' branded versions with sub-140 grams CO2. The least emitting engine in the Laguna range is the 1.5-litre dCi 110HP with 120 grams and a combined fuel economy of 60.1 mpg UK.

The Laguna is offered in three core trim levels, Expression, Dynamique TomTom and GT Line TomTom. The base Expression includes an Arkamys 3D Sound single CD/radio MP3 with Bluetooth and fingertip control, 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, aux input, ESC and front fog lights.

Aside from the navigation system, the Dynamique TomTom adds automatic parking brake, and headlights and wipers, cruise control, chrome twin exhausts (excluding dCi 110), dual zone climate control, electrically heated and folding door mirrors, hands-free keycard, rear parking sensors, multi-functional TunePoint (for portable music players) and speed limiter.

Finally, the range-topping GT Line TomTom benefits from 18-inch alloys, a BOSE sound system with 10 speakers and amplifier, 4Control four-wheel steering on the dCi 180 HP, pearl black electric folding door mirrors with memory, and leather and alcantara upholstery with electrically adjustable heated front seats.

The revised Laguna Hatch starts from £17,795, with prices for the more practical Sport Tourer version set £1,100 higher than those of the liftback model.

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