Renault to debut new Ondelios concept at Paris
Author: MotorTorque Team
Published: 11 September 2008
Debuting at the Paris Motor Show next month is Renault’s top-of-the-range concept car, Ondelios, designed to be a comfortable and luxurious cruiser.
The name Ondelios is an invented word which comes from the French 'onde' (wave) and 'helios' (the Greek god of the sun). Renault says the combination of the image of a wave and the Greek suffix gives an upper-range feel to the name, as opposed to sounding rather silly.
Featuring an original hybrid powertrain, the Ondelios concept is 4.8-metre-long, 1.6-metre high and apparently takes inspiration from aviation design to deliver a drag coefficient of just 0.29 - useful from driving down fuel consumption and road noise.
The Ondelios is powered by a hybrid powerplant which combines a 205bhp version of the 2.0-litre dCi engine delivers torque of 340lb-ft between 1,700 and 3800rpm, with two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear, using energy recovered during braking. The electric motor mounted on the rear axle drives the rear wheels when the ESP sensors detect a loss of traction.
62mph in just 7.8 seconds through a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox. Fuel consumption is 52mpg and CO2 emissions 120g/km. The car is equipped with a lithium-ion battery that can deliver power of up to 4kW/h.
An aluminium-finish grille, high-performance LED headlights and boomerang-shaped tail light treatment and steeply-raked windscreen enhance efficiency and give the Ondelios and undeniable head-turning style.
The roof-hinged butterfly-style side doors, dark blue anthracite bodywork and 23-inch aluminium alloy wheelson 255/45 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres complete the exotic looks.
The Ondelios’ interior has three rows of seats that offer individual seating for six, and are 'reminiscent of airplane seats' according to Renault. The electrically-adjustable backs fold into comfortable, business-class positions, while occupants can deploy and retract the footrests at will. Designed like giant leaves, they hug their occupants who can curl up in them to enjoy comfort and support.
Interior materials are drawn from contemporary interior design and are designed to give the impression of sitting in a lounge on wheels,
The dashboard’s functional components include active display skins to show driver aid and ride information; a monitor at the base of the windscreen to display the different menus and pictures from the door mirror cameras; three large strip displays to provide driving-related information, engine revs and the hybrid drivetrain status; and a digital speedometer.
All passengers have their own Samsung interactive portable multimedia devices which they can use for sharing data or multiplayer gaming, while multizone settings enables each passenger to set the temperature to his or her own liking.
A Samsung cell phone also acts as a hands-free door lock to recognise the driver and load his or her personal settings
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