Renault TREZOR
Renault has taken the definition of the term “concept” car to its veritable limits with its TREZOR Electric GT design, unveiled at the 32nd annual Festival Automobile International in Paris. From the get-go, it was obvious this specimen had stolen the show, as made clear when the judges proclaimed it the most beautiful concept car of 2016. As per the president of the festival, Remi Dupoix: “The jury decided this award should go to the TREZOR because of the extreme beauty, sensuality and elegance it exudes.”
This sleek, two-seater, one-door coupé with its signature C-shaped lighting panels (which run the width of the front and rear), its red accented tyres and red tinted one-piece wraparound windscreen, represents the life stage, falling in love. This is in furtherance of Renault’s “Life Flower” design strategy wherein different petals (or cars) represent the various stages one experiences in life. A strategy that could be made no clearer by Renault’s SVP of Corporate Design, Laurens van den Acker, when saying: “The TREZOR’s powerful, sensuous lines pave the way for the styling and technologies that will be features of our upcoming models. It also marks the beginning of a new cycle of Renault concept cars which will be revealed soon.”
Renault TREZOR
The interior, similarly, sports a variety of red accents, incorporating real red-stained ash wood and leather. The rectangular steering wheel is said to expand when the driver abandons the Neutral or Sport driving modes for the Autonomous mode, which the TREZOR signals by changing its exterior lighting. A large LED touch panel provides access to its other features.
Certainly, the TREZOR is not only a marvel to behold. It packs a wallop. Two high performance batteries (located at the front and rear, for optimum weight distribution) combine to 260 kilowatts of force and about 379Nm of torque to propel the TREZOR from zero to 102 kilometres per hour in under four seconds. Not bad for a car weighing almost 1,600 kilograms. The highly remarkable bonnet incorporates variable-geometry hexagonal hood vents to cool these batteries, derived from Renaults Formula-E racing prototypes. The TREZOR also utilises the patented brake energy recovery system (RESS), making it more efficient.
Renault TREZOR
It is uncertain whether we’ll ever see anything like the TREZOR roll off the production line (although the unique and somewhat logistically challenging one-door cockpit design suggests not). But if Laurens van den Acker is to be believed, we’ll be seeing TREZOR-like elements emerge in our more everyday Renaults and that is certainly something to look forward to.
In the meantime and in this humble blogger’s opinion, it is worth considering that Renault may have faulted when saying the TREZOR represents the life stage, falling in love. That might only be because the life stage, being Batman, was already taken. For sure, the TREZOR only needs a coat of black paint to seriously appeal to the Dark Knight.
