Here’s one design that really impressed us: Italian David Obendorfer’s “Revival of a Childhood Impression”. Like Fiat’s Nuova 500, Obendorfer’s Revival takes the classic lines of its inspiration and wraps them around modern underpinnings.
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The Frendzy is a fresh take on the small van segment where Renault is currently represented by the Kangoo series that is available in both leisure and commercial versions.
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Recently, Renault also applied the Gordini treatment, which consists of bespoke styling cues and equipment upgrades, to a non-RenaultSport model, the Wind Roadster. This move inspired autoscardesign reader reader L il-k Amaru to render a Gordini version of Renault’s most recent new model, the redesigned Koleos SUV.
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More than eight million Renault 4’s were sold over a thirty-one year period, starting in 1961 and ending in 1992. Renault’s approach was to offer a functional, minimalist “everyman’s car” with low running costs and a sturdy five-door body. Think of it as a Gallic precursor to Toyota’s indestructibility mantra of the 1980s and ‘90s.
After production of the A610 ended, Renault used the Alpine factory in Dieppe to manufacture the street-legal RenaultSport Spider, a lightweight two-seater model with a rear mid-engine layout built from 1995 to 1997, which was the French firm’s last bespoke sports car.
Over the years, we have seen many independent designers creating concept studies for a new Alpine coupe, the most recent being the one you see pictured above, which is the work of David Cardoso.
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At 4,250mm meters long, the R-Space is slightly shorter than the current Scenic (4,344mm) and features a much more expressive exterior design. The interior styling is quite futuristic with the floating dashboard and the form of the seats echoing those of the DeZir concept car.
“We provided a strong visual and functional contrast between the driver environment, where the focus is on driving pleasure, and a surprising and highly-original rear section conceived as a play space for children," said interior designer Alexandre Gommier.
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From the looks of it, the Twist's design is awkward enough to be Renault (and I say that in a good way). Its nose is nothing to blow people away style-wise, but it certainly looks the part of an i-Miev competitor. Luckily, that means it can win people over with cuteness.
Besides the apparently tall and spine-straightening seating area designed by chiropractors, the Twist looks ready to go. Even the wheels are a realistic size, unlike a lot of renderings put out there.
The DeZir project is the first to have been led by Renault's new chief designer Laurens van den Acker who took over from Patrick le Quement in 2009. Before joining Renault, the Dutch designer worked for Mazda where he was responsible for many projects including the Nagara, Ryuga and Hakaze concepts, while he has also spent time at Ford and Audi.
One of the most important design features of the DeZir is the front-end styling as according to the company, it previews the new front-end identity that is set to become a feature of all Renault models in the near future.
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Apparently, Nissan's partner Renault wasn't kidding when it said that it would go ahead and produce the four all-electric concept models that it displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Today, the French automaker not only (re)confirmed production of the futuristic looking Twizy Z.E. city car (for Zero Emission) and the funky Zoe Z.E. sporty supermini, but it also revealed the plants where the two cars will be built.First up is the Twizy Z.E. based 1+1 seater that will be manufactured at Renault's Valladolid factory in Spain from 2011. Even though we find it hard to believe, it is said that the production version will remain extremely close to the concept model that is powered by an electric motor that makes 15kW (20HP) and 70Nm of torque and drives the rear wheels.
The Twizy will be followed in 2012 by a sporty, all-electric supermini dimly inspired by the Zoe Z.E concept car. It will be produced at the firm's Flins plant near Paris, France. Renault said that it expects that this urban model will account for two-thirds of the Group's EV sales in Europe.
The other two electric vehicles that Renault is planning to produce is the Fluence Z.E. compact sedan and the Kangoo Z.E. small van.
Earlier this week, a letter of intent was signed between the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the French Strategic Investment Fund (FSI) to form a joint venture company that would develop and manufacture batteries for the group's electric vehicles.
Renault Zoe Z.E. Concept
Renault Twizy Z.E. Concept
Proving that electric cars can be fun, at least in theory, Renault took the wraps off its second all-electric showcar in Frankfurt after the Fluence Z.E, the Zoe Z.E. which is a compact-sized, four seater supermini with scissor doors at the front and butterfly doors at the rear. The funky looking French concept is motivated by a 70kW / 93 horsepower electric motor with the lithium-ion batteries promising to offer a driving range of around 100 miles or 160 kilometers.The Zoe Z.E. also gets massive 21-inch alloy wheels and a retractable rear spoiler for greater aerodynamic efficiency while the photovoltaic cells on the rooftop recover solar energy to power the climate control system that has been co-developed with L'Oréa and features 'hydrating', 'detox' and 'active scent' spray functions -all for the sake of beauty...
