Renault Megane convertible spied

Talk about overkill. These photos show the extreme lengths car makers go to -- in this instance French brand Renault -- to make sure that motor vehicles can handle all seasons.

Underneath what looks like a king-size bedding quilt is the next generation Megane CC convertible. That's right, a convertible.

Why on earth someone would take a convertible to the snow (in this case somewhere super cold north of Sweden) is anyone's guess.

But clearly Renault isn't taking any chances in case any of its adventurous owners decide to get off piste in the ski season.

In all seriousness, the cold weather testing will have its uses: it will enable engineers to determine how well the hydraulics of the uppy-downy roof cope in sub zero temps. 

Meanwhile, the blanket disguise does a good job of hiding most of the Megane CC's key features.

But we're so tragic here at the Carsales Network that we can still spot a couple of things from these blurry pics (apologies to the poor sod who stood on the side of the road for hours to snap these frames as it blew past).

For example, you can see the new Megane's signature front wheelarch crease poking through the disguise, and we can see that the roof will continue to be a folding metal design.

The glass area was too foggy however to tell you the test driver's mother's maiden name.

Although Renault is well progressed with development of the new model, don't hold your breath for it to arrive in local showrooms; you may turn blue first.

The finished product is not due to be officially unveiled until the Geneva motor show next March and it could take another 12 months after that before we see it in Australia -- just in time for the 2011 winter. At least we know it has been cold weather tested.

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