Renault Ondelios concept combines luxury with eco awareness

Renault has joined its French rivals with the announcement today of a new hybrid concept vehicle set to grace the carmaker’s stands at next month’s Paris Motor Show. The latest concept is called the Ondelios and is described as a luxury crossover designed for the environmentally conscious.

The vehicle stretches more than 4.8m in length, almost 2m across, and is 1.6m high, but despite its generous proportions its coefficient of drag remains a slippery 0.29Cd.

"Ondelios is inspired by motion rather than speed and is a whole new response to the call of the open road," Renault’s chief designer Patrick Le Quément said. Elements such as the aluminum grille flanked by tapered headlights, and the flowing shape of its body have been designed to suggest motion, Quément explains. Another feature of Ondelios' aerodynamic styling is the boomerang-shaped tail lights. They are built into the bodywork and ringed with air extractors to control the flow of air from the wheel arches. Sitting within these are 23in aluminum-alloy wheels shod with 255mm Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

The powertrain consists of a 2.0L dCi turbodiesel engine rated at 205hp (150kW) and 332lb-ft (450Nm) of torque, plus a pair of 20kW electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries. This is enough to move the Ondelios from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds while consuming just 4.5L/100km (52mpg) and emitting just 120g of CO2 per km.

Drive is sent to all four wheels via a newly developed seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Entry into the cabin is via a pair of gullwing doors, which also feature an extensive glazed area to add an airy feel once inside. There are three rows of seats that offer individual seating for six, as well as display screens mounted around the cabin, including one at the base of the windscreen showing pictures from the door mirror cameras.

The new concept will make its debut at next month's Paris Motor Show where it will be joined by similar hybrid crossover concepts from French rivals Peugeot and Citroen.