PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Renault EZ-ULTIMO robo-car revealed

No, Renault is not paying homage to the inner-Sydney suburb of Ultimo with its latest concept car, the EZ-ULTIMO.

Rather, it has bequeathed the last of its three self-driving cars in 2018 (ultimo = last) with an Italian name as it attempts to establish what motorists of the future will want to drive/ride when they're filthy rich.

The extravagant 5.7-metre-long answer to instant mobility -- which is driverless, self-aware and AI-powered -- will struggle in tight Parisian laneways, with its chunky 2.2-metre width, but its reason for being is to pamper its three occupants.

Normally car websites such as this get all hot and bothered about powertrains and chassis systems, but when it comes to the EZ-ULTIMO -- sibling to the EZ-GO and EZ-PRO concept cars -- its single electric motor is so meaningless there is no mention of its power output.

The vehicle weighs 1.8 tonnes and has four-wheel steering, but by the time a vehicle like this is introduced in 2045 or so, the only thing people will want to know is whether it comes with streaming Netflix or lavish velvet seats. Yes to both in this case, by the way.

Renault says the huge luxury limousine concept will be "redefining the paradigm of the car almost entirely" by offering the sort of interior luxury usually found on a business class airliner.

Fitted out with a swiveling armchair and "deep bench seat" – let's just call it a couch or a sofa – trimmed with velvet and leather, the interior is finished with 30mm-thick slabs of marble. Saint Laurent des Pyrénées marble, to be precise.

Occupants will get almost complete privacy to do whatever their hearts desire due to the "technical faceting of the upper section of its bodywork". Translated, it's like a one-way mirror – you can see out, they can't see in.

Some other cool elements in this futuristic flight of fancy include discreet controls – or "rotating knobs" as Renault calls them. Audio and visual systems are controlled by fancy dials "placed in two discreet consoles that appear when required". It's not clear how they appear when required – perhaps via gesture control or brainwave activity.

There's a 5G-powered entertainment system (will it be 9G by 2050?) and wireless charging for everything -- even the car's batteries -- and everything is secreted away when not needed, such as the charge pads.

The exterior design of the new car is described as "sensual and exciting" and draws on Parisian apartment blocks for its styling inspiration.

Renault says the EZ-ULTIMO was designed for congested roads and grid-locked mega-cities, and will deliver a cultural shift as "the reality of what’s possible during travel time is completely redefinable".

"We are on the brink of a new world in which shared mobility services will become increasingly prevalent," declared the French brand.

Renault’s view of future motoring follows a well-worn path that so many concept cars have trodden to predict the future. Almost all have failed to tap into the zeitgeist of an unknown future – will this one be any different?

So long as Daniel Ricciardo gets a good engine in his Renault F1 car from 2019, we don’t mind either way.