Renault Trezor concept revealed – two-seat sports EV

No, it’s not the abbreviation of the name of Nine Inch Nails’ frontman – the Renault Trezor is instead the French carmaker’s latest concept, a two-seat sports car that exhibits a matured version of the company’s latest design language.

Sitting wide and low, the Trezor measures 4,700 mm long, a staggering 2,180 mm wide and just 1,080 mm tall. This broad stance is accentuated still further by the slim headlights with C-shaped signature lighting, framing the air intakes. The bonnet vents, which move to provide variable intake geometry, are arranged in a honeycomb pattern – this motif is repeated in the multifaceted front bumper and rear bodywork.

Elsewhere, there’s an analogue gauge where a fuel filler is on a regular car, to monitor the vehicle’s charge level, while the tail lights feature fibre optics and laser technology. The wheels are massive 21-inch items at the front and 22-inch at the rear, shod with custom Continental tyres – these get a portion of their tread dedicated to clearing surface water, while the rest is entirely smooth to maximise grip.

The wraparound windscreen has red glazing to add warmth to the cabin, and the entire upper front bodywork – including the bonnet and roof – opens up like a jewellery box to provide access to the interior. Automatically reclining headrests ease entry and egress, and red leather trim on the high sills invites occupants to straddle them as they climb into the cockpit.

Once inside, they are ensconced in deep red leather buckets, with the minimalist driver-focused dashboard made from red wood – a collaboration with French wooden cycle frame manufacturer KEIM Cycles. It features thin superimposed strips of ash and is said to be just as strong as modern composite materials.

That instrument panel also houses dedicated luggage compartments at the front of the vehicle, with custom-designed cases held in place using leather straps. A large, curved, L-shaped OLED touchscreen with Gorilla Glass sits ahead of the driver, combining the dashboard controls and the infotainment system. Ahead of that display is a rectangular Formula 1-style steering wheel, which itself has three screens – one in the centre featuring the brand logo, the smaller touch-operated ones flanking it, replacing traditional stalk controls.

Powering the Trezor is an electric motor that delivers 350 hp and 380 Nm of torque to the rear wheels, enabling the show car to go from 0-100 km/h in under four seconds. Two separate batteries are located at the front and rear of the vehicle to improve weight distribution, and there’s also brake-operated energy recovery courtesy of the Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) developed for Formula E racing.

Weight has been pared down through the use of a central carbon cell, mated to tubular steel frames at the front and rear of the car; the monocoque and the access hatch are also made from carbon. As a result, despite the batteries and the electric powertrain, the Trezor tips the scales of 1,600 kg.

Renault’s Multi-Sense system in the Trezor provides three driving modes – neutral, sport and autonomous. The car offers up ideas on how to make autonomous driving safer and more enjoyable, such as a change in exterior lighting to indicate to other road users that driving has been delegated. The steering wheel also becomes wider in this mode, giving the driver a panoramic view of the dashboard.

Outfitting autonomous driving technology in the Trezor symbolises Renault’s goal to make fully hands/eyes-off autonomous driving available in its mainstream vehicles beyond 2020, at an affordable price.

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