Renault Ondelios concept car revealed
* Luxury 4x4 concept car * Seats six, powered by hybrid system * Unlikely to make production...
This is the Renault Ondelios, a concept car that shows the company's vision for an environmentally friendly luxury 4x4.
The car is an ambitious design study rather than a likely production car for the near future. It seats six in three rows of two and is a sizeable 4.8 metres in length, 1.6 metres high and sits on 23-inch wheels.
With the interior designed around a 'business class' theme, each seat reclines like those on a plane, while each passenger gets individual Samsung multimedia devices, too, with seat-integrated headsets.
Access to the vehicle is via a mobile phone that acts as a hands-free key, and roof-hinged gullwing doors.
The hybrid car is powered by a 201bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine combined with two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear.
The electric systems give the engine extra power when required, and recover energy during braking. The rear-mounted motor can also drive the rear wheels when the ESP detects a loss in traction, giving the Ondelios four-wheel drive capability.
Linked to a seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox, the engine propels the Ondelios from 0-62mph in 7.8sec while returning 63mpg and emitting 120g/km of CO2.
The Ondelios will be on display at the Paris motor show next month.
