Most concepts these days are designed with one eye on production, but every once in a while we get a humdinger like the Renault Ondelios Concept that's scheduled to debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. The Ondelios is Renault's far out vision for a high-end crossover of the future. The exterior has a slippery shape with a drag coefficient of 0.29 and a look that's certainly... umm... futuristic. The transition from the dark-colored carbon fiber body to the glazed greenhouse is supposed to blend and make the whole car appear as one piece of material. The two gull-wing doors swing up and the side sills lower to become steps, thus easing ingress into the six-seat CUV of tomorrow.
Occupants will find slim line seats inside that recline like a business class seat with footrests, as well as personal entertainment devices on the back of each cantilevered headrest. The dash is completely smooth with controls that light up from beneath the surface, while views from various outboard cameras are projected at the base of the steeply raked windshield. Renault's vision of the future must include a continued concern over fuel economy, as the Ondelios is a diesel hybrid with a 2.0L dCi engine supported by two electric motors placed at each end. Renault claims the hybrid concept, which comes packing a 7-speed double-clutch transmission, could hit 62 mph in 7.8 seconds. Of course, the Ondelios Concept appears to be nothing more than designers and engineers at Renault stretching their legs a bit while the developing the next Megane, Clio and Twingo.
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