While Renault’s large-car plans are currently up in the air, the bizarre Ondelios does, say company sources, give a couple of clues to the maker’s future direction. Some 4.8m long, the concept is designed to carry six people in ‘business class’ comfort and is inspired by ‘the world of aviation design’.
Despite the extraordinary styling, the car is said to have a Cd figure of just 0.29, and is described as a ‘long distance voyager’ with an environmentally friendly twist.
The Ondelious’s transmission is made up of a 205bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel combined with 20Kw motors front and rear, which can deliver extra boost to the engine’s output.
The rear-mounted motor also drives the rear wheels and can cut in when the ESP system detect a loss of traction, delivering instantaneous four-wheel drive.
Renault is claiming 332lb ft of torque from 1700rpm and a 0-62mph sprint time of just 7.8secs. Combined with a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, the Ondelios has a theoretical CO2 output of just 120g/km.
Renault’s chief designer, Patrick Le Quement, told Autocar that most environmental attention was being paid to smaller cars and the concept ‘was an experiment to see what could be created for those who need to carry six people. People are not going to get smaller and we can’t restrict families to 1.5 children.’
Le Quement also said that Renault research has found that women drivers, imparticularly, appreciated a high driving position and were reluctant to shift back to conventional vehicles. ‘We have configured the car as a six seater, not a seven seater, because we want all passengers to travel first class’.
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Re: Paris Show: Renault Ondelios
Hmmm, lets think about the last six seat, high riding people carrier, cross over vehicle that was produced....... the Mercedes R Class. Look how well that's doing.
Yes this moves the whole environmental vehicle concept to a new arena, I can't help thinking that Renault would be better served producing a closer to production Espace hybrid concept.