Renault Ondelios: Paris Debut for Luxury Hybrid Crossover Concept

A Paris Motor Show without weird French concepts is like food without salt. Renault on its behalf will attempt to grasp the attention of showgoers and journalists alike with a luxury crossover hybrid concept awkwardly called Ondelios. According to Renault, the 4.8-metre-long, 1.6-metre-high Ondelios has drawn inspiration from the world of aviation and it embodies the company’s vision of high-end car. "Ondelios is inspired by motion rather than speed and is a whole new response to the call of the open road," enthuses Patrick Le Quément, Renault’s Design Director. -Continued

Equipped with a pair of gigantic gullwing doors that also feature an extensive glazed area, the Ondelios treats its passengers with a futuristic looking interior that can accommodate up to six passengers in three rows of (individual) seats. The second row of seats slide forward and folds down to facilitate access to the third row. All passengers, including those in the back row, have their own Samsung interactive portable multimedia devices which they can use for sharing data or multiplayer gaming.

The Ondelios is powered by a hybrid powerplant which combines a more powerful 205 HP version of Renault’s 2.0 dCi turbo diesel engine, with two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear that use a brake and boost system, recovering energy during braking then delivering it to the engine to boost acceleration. The crossover is also equipped with a lithium-ion battery that can deliver power of up to 4kW/h.

Renault says that the 2.0 dCi unit takes the Ondelios from a standing start to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7.8 seconds while fuel consumption is rated at a frugal 4.5 litres/100km or 52.3 US mpg and CO2 emissions at a low (especially for its size) 120g/km.