Renault DeZir 'gullwing' concept

Renault say the DeZir (pronounced desire) is a sign of things to come. The car is the first designed under new design head Lauren van Acker, who as the former design boss of Mazda was responsible for injecting the successful 'zoom zoom' into the brand.

The DeZir employs an all electric system that uses kinetic energy recovery. When the car decelerates, the car's battery recovers and stores kinetic energy, providing the driver with a rapid boost at the push of a power boost button. The car is driven by a mid-rear mounted 110kW electric motor that produces 226Nm of torque, which is delivered to the rear wheels. A bank of lithium-ion batteries stores the energy, to produce a tidy 0-100km/h time of just five seconds.

The DeZir looks like a modern version of the original Mercedes 300SL gullwing with large top hinged doors that fold respectively one to the front and one to the rear. Inside, the cabin is ultra-modern, finished in volcano red with white seating. Instruments are blended into the dash, while the car rides on 21-inch wheels. Whether the car makes it into production is another thing, but it certainly is a piece of automotive beauty.

Source: JUST CARS, September 2010, Collectors Issue #175