This week has been an important one in the motoring industry as the Mondial De L’Automobile Paris 2016, the Paris Motor Show for those not familiar with the name, opened up.
The first press day was explosive as several new production cars and concept cars were revealed. Models include the Land Rover Discovery, Audi Q5, Skoda Kodiaq, Honda Civic, the BMW Concept X2, the new Nissan Micra, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, and Renault’s Trezor concept, amongst others.
What stood out to me and possibly one of the most striking cars at the show, is the Renault Trezor all-electric Grand Tourer concept. It embodies the latest chapter in Renault’s design story under Laurens Van Den Acker, Senior Vice-President of Corporate Design.
Six years ago, Acker designed his first concept for Renault, the electric DeZir, marking the beginning of a sequence of concept cars that would signify Renault’s new styling vision for the future.
The DeZir had a design representation of a couple falling in love and with the Trezor, it displays love that has now matured and committed. The Trezor’s dramatic roof opening characterizes the opening of a ring box, picture a proposal moment, revealing something very special inside. It all forms part of Renault’s ‘Life Flower’ design strategy, and the Trezor hails from the Love ‘petal’.
We likely to see design elements from the Trezor filtering through into the production car range as with the DeZir. The DeZir headed Renault’s revival, starting with the Clio in 2012, progressing to the Captur, Kadjar, Mégane and also to the new Koleos SUV that also just debuted at the aforementioned Paris Motor Show.
The Trezor is a preview of the regeneration in Renault that’s about to take place. New styling cues are likely to be implemented across the contemporary range, starting with the next Clio. Features to look out for include the sensual lines, the C-shaped lighting, the large air intakes and a slimmer grille.
Under the nose
The electric motor in the Trezor produces a maximum power of 260kW and peak torque of 380Nm. It is capable of a 0-100 km/h sprint in less than four seconds. That’s because its motor originates from the Renault e.dams, two-time winner of the Formula E Teams’ world title. It also has a brake-operated energy recovery system taken from the Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) technology. Technology also developed for Formula E racing.
The Trezor also features two batteries, each of which has its own cooling system. It is optimised by the variable-geometry air intake integrated into the bonnet. The design team paid special attention to remove weight of the vehicle in order to improve the batteries range and performance.
On the outside
The carbon fibre bodywork is truly exceptional, with its smooth feminine finish in the front while having a more masculine print in the bodywork at the rear. The hexagonal honeycomb-form pattern on the bonnet is very much functional. It pops up to provide cooling for the batteries.
The back sees fibre optic lights lit by lasers that twist to adjust the output depending on braking effort.
Trezor Technology
Among the three driving modes offered by the Trezor, it features a fully autonomous driving mode. Most noteworthy, this allows the driver to watch a movie on a screen. A screen that widens automatically on the rectangular steering wheel upon activation. While at the same time it adjusts lighting (internally and externally) around the car to indicate its autonomous mode. The other two modes include neutral and sport.
For its display screen, the Trezor makes use of the latest Ultra High Definition developments. In addition to the use of OLED technology (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and Corning Gorilla Glass.
Beneath the arm rest, storage for your smartphone can be found. Furthermore, the phone is immediately recognized upon entering the car and will display a greeting. The car also scans itself electronically to ensure proper functionality.
Mobile syncing is taken to the next level in the Trezor. In addition, phone apps and widgets will appear on the steering wheel, allowing for its own personalisation.
Renault is definitely paving the way with innovation. And Laurens Van Den Acker’s romantic interpretation of car design certainly seems to be working. It’s going to be really interesting to see what comes next from Renault. As well as, the modern adjustments their current production cars are going to receive.
