RENAULT is to drop its name badge from future models, but will instead rely on a more prominent diamond logo. The first car to receive this treatment will be the Avantime, which is due to go on sale in the UK in September.

As the new Laguna is a transition model it will use both the Renault name and a central diamond logo on the rear of the car. A spokesman for Renault said: 'It is an exercise to build awareness of the logo. Other companies, like Volkswagen and Nike just use a logo, and we hope that in future Renault will be recognised by the logo alone.'