Renault's future unveiled

The future of French car design has been revealed -- meet the DeZir, created by Renault's new design director, Laurens van den Acker.

Sporting an ultra smooth style, the zero emission concept car will make its official debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.

The new model stamps Laurens van den Acker's name on future Renault vehicles, and it's the DeZir -- particularly the front end -- that will influence how future Renault cars are conceived.

With the new face of Renault out in the open, the next step will be for van den Acker to ensure the upcoming generation of Renault passenger cars adheres to his design philosophy; something he achieved with a high degree of success at Mazda, his previous employer.

Taking over from Patrick le Quement in 2009, Laurens van den Acker will get to see and hear first hand what people think of his new design DNA in Paris, where the 4.2 metre gull-winged concept car will take pride of place.

The two-seater DeZir concept shows off a sleek sports car profile and features a curvaceous, almost fluid exterior design -- not unlike some of van den Acker's Mazda concepts such as the Nagara -- which suggests the Dutch car designer is eager to inject new life (and perhaps a touch of flair) into the Renault brand.

Sitting very low to the ground with a height of just 1100mm, some 216mm lower than the Audi TT, the Renault DeZir concept is powered by a mid-mounted electric motor outputting 110kW/226Nm.

Renault claims this is enough grunt to propel the lightweight 830kg rear-wheel drive sports car from 0 to 100km/h in 5 seconds flat, on par with some Aston Martins. The vehicle's light weight is the result of a body shell made from Kevlar.

However the DeZir's range is fairly limited, claimed at around 160 kilometres, due in large part to its 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is housed in the rear of the car. Top speed is rated at 180km/h.

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