cars news 10: Renault Trezor Concept Pulls Out all the Stops in Paris

The beautiful car you see pictured here is the Renault Trezor Concept, a two-seater electric coupe that is making quite a big impression at the Paris Motor Show. Although it’s just a concept, Renault says the Trezor could inspire features that make their way to future cars.

“This concept car is the fruit of a freedom of expression and prepares the way for the trends we are likely to see in our upcoming vehicles,” said Laurens van den Acker, corporate design chief. A bit of a vague promise, but we’ll take it.

Hopefully these “trends” coming to future cars include the exterior design. The Trezor features a long hood, low-slung body, and elegant C-shaped headlights. Twenty-one inch wheels up front and 22s in the rear complement the car’s low ground clearance. But more impressive is the clamshell hood that lifts completely up over the top of the vehicle, allowing for ingress and egress. The lack of traditional side doors makes it so you have to straddle the side of the vehicle to get in or out. (Watch the video below to see how it works.)

Under this sheetmetal, there sits an electric motor derived from Renault’s two-time winning Formula E team. The motor produces 350 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, allowing the car to hit 62 mph in less than four seconds. There are also two batteries that have their own cooling systems optimized by the air intake in the bonnet. The car’s regenerative braking system was developed for Formula E.

Oh, yeah, and the Trezor has some level of autonomous capability. Renault says the Trezor offers three modes: neutral, sport, and autonomous to give drivers a choice in how they travel. By 2020, Renault hopes to make “hands off/eyes off” technology available on its vehicles at an affordable price.

Renault says that the concept’s connectivity and other aspects of the interior preview the future of the automaker. Along with its red leather trim, the cabin features a big L-shaped display that houses the dashboard controls and infotainment system. This huge screen makes use of OLED technology and Corning Gorilla Glass, providing for a thin, curved screen that doesn’t need backlighting, making it easier to see. A square steering wheel is another interesting touch.

The Renault Trezor is a follow-up to the DeZir concept, which debuted six years earlier at the Paris auto show. The Trezor builds on this original design philosophy, Renault says. The DeZir inspired the design of the new Clio and Kadjar, Renault says. So perhaps we really will see some hints of the Trezor on future vehicles, if we never see a vehicle quite like this one again.

Source: Renault