Renault's DeZir concept

By Mark Rainford

July 2010

It’s the stunning sports car that puts the va va voom back into Renault! Meet the DeZir – an incredible new electric concept that made its debut at the Paris Motor Show.

The first model under new design chief Laurens van den Acker, it points to how all forthcoming Renaults will look. The beautifully sculpted body is similar in size to Audi’s R8 e-tron electric supercar, and gives the coupé a contrasting and fresh new image to replace the geometric shapes of the company’s current range.

A full-width front grille features a large Renault diamond badge, and is flanked by distinctive prism headlights and LED ‘eyelids’ which provide a hi-tech, menacing appearance.

Expect this to be the face of future Renault models, such as the next-generation Laguna. Scissor doors add to the dramatic exterior appearance, while the rear window is replaced by two cameras that produce a panoramic rearward view for the driver.

Inside, the red exterior makes way for a one-piece bench trimmed in contrasting white leather, designed to represent the attraction between two people.

Power comes from a vertically mounted 24kWh rechargeable lithium-ion battery, fed to a 148bhp mid-mounted electric motor. This gives Audi e-tron-rivalling performance, with 0-60mph in only five seconds and a top speed of 112mph.

Aiding the pace is a ightweight tubular steel chassis – the DeZir tips the scales at only 830kg – and a drag coefficient of only 0.25Cd. It also promises a range of 100 miles.

Weight is further reduced by the use of Kevlar for the body, while a double-wishbone suspension set-up gives the car genuinely sporty handling.

The DeZir concept joins the firm’s upcoming line-up of battery-powered vehicles, such as the Fluence saloon. Formula One-inspired KERS technology features. This stores energy lost under deceleration in the battery, where it can be accessed for a short power boost.

The styling and technology are set to grace forthcoming Renault sports cars, although bosses have no plans to put the DeZir into production.