Renault India showcased its super sporty DeZir Electric Concept Car at the Auto Expo 2012 at Renault Pavilion. The car has been a great head turner and has attracted a lot of eyeballs in the crowd. Car enthusiast and sport car admirers can be easily found gazing and admiring the car at the 11th Auto Expo.
Renault DeZir stands out as an illustration of the brand's commitment to more emotional styling. DeZir's sensuous lines and bright red finish express passion. Powered by an electric motor, DeZir is proof that environmental concern and a love for cars are by no means incompatible.
Under the leadership of Laurens van den Acker, Renault's Design Department has taken its inspiration from the brand's new signature Drive the Change and explores Renault's styling roots to express the company's powerful human dimension via a new strategy founded on the notion of 'the life cycle'. This vision also builds on the bonds that are gradually forged between the brand and its customers at watershed moments of their lives, such as when they fall in love, start to explore the world, found a family, begin to work, take time to play and attain wisdom.
This approach coincides with the introduction of a new Renault design language that takes its inspiration from the three keywords which communicate the brand's vision, namely 'simple','sensuous' and 'warm'.
The Renault DeZir concept electric vehicle features gull-wing doors that open in opposite directions. With its sports car looks and ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in five seconds, or 0 to 50 km/h in just two seconds, which is really attractive.
The battery pack in the DeZir is vertically mounted behind the pair of seats inside the car. It is a 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion unit and it is configured for quick replacement. The Renault concept is much lighter than the Leaf with a weight of 1,830 pounds.
Renault DeZir features prominent wheel arches that accommodate 21-inch wheels, while the vehicle’s front end features a full-width air-intake which strikes out either side of a large, vertically-positioned Renault logo. The car’s headlights sit above air scoops situated at the outer extremities of the front air intake to form a front-end design.
Renault DeZir is the first project to be led by Laurens van den Acker and marks the implementation of the strategy based on the notion of 'life cycle'. The first step involves falling in love, an experience that is perfectly illustrated by DeZir's powerful, sensuous styling and bright red finish; red being the colour associated with passion.
The result is a two-seater coupe which is both sculptural in spirit yet perfectly harmonious. DeZir's shape features prominent wheel arches that accommodate 21-inch wheels, the design of which took its inspiration from the notion of movement.
Renault DeZir's front end features a full-width air-intake which strikes out either side of a large, vertically positioned Renault logo that proudly displays the car's brand pedigree. Meanwhile, the chrome finish of the diamond-shaped logo contrasts with the dark aspect of the grille to express the statement still further.
The interior design also suggests lightness. "Love is a sentiment that lifts you; gives you wings," says Stéphane Maïore, who was in charge of DeZir's interior styling. "Inside DeZir, you feel like you're floating on a cloud," adds Stéphanie Petit, Colours and Materials Designer. The forms are soft and light, while the predominant colour is white, although there are also echoes of the same passion red used for the exterior.
The interior of the car is dominated by white, although there are also echoes of the same red used for the exterior, with white leather upholstery and trimming for the dashboard, floor and one-piece, two-seater front benchseat, along with a red lacquered finish for the console and accessories.
The central touchscreen display provides drivers with a real-time indication of their energy management via an interface that uses video-game style graphics. It also incorporates a smart navigation system that synchronizes journey information with the driver’s diary to manage tasks and itineraries.
The materials employed for the interior, like the senses they awaken, are precious, with white leather upholstery and trimming for the seats, dashboard and floor, along with a red lacquered finish for the console and accessories.
The one-piece, two-seater front benchseat provides cocoon-like comfort. To emphasise the sensation of a shared passion and lightness, it comprises a number of interlocking elements trimmed in white leather, with a quilted pattern on the passenger's side, and a contrasting uniform finish on the driver's side, as if to suggest an inexorable attraction between the two.
Renault DeZir is powered by an electric motor mounted in a mid-rear position to optimize weight distribution over the front and rear wheels. The vertically-mounted 24kWh lithium-ion battery is located behind the benchseat and provides the car with a range of 160km.
In order to optimise range and dynamic performance, Renault Design's technical teams have kept DeZir's weight to a minimum: its body is made from Kevlar, while its tubular steel frame is similar to that employed for Megane Trophy race car.
Renault DeZir Electric Concept Car Video:
Renault DeZir Electric Concept Car Video:
