The French star of the Munich show gives us the secrets of his design. Gilles Vidal, Renault style boss explains how his teams worked.
At the Munich show, Renault is the only French car manufacturer to have made the trip. The diamond mark did not come empty-handed, the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric presented in world premiere takes its very first walkabout. To decipher the style and philosophy of this atypical vehicle, who better than Gilles Vidal, the new Renault design boss? Twelve years after the Renault Zoé concept car, unveiled at the IAA 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Mégane E-Tech Electric opens a new era in the electric strategy of the French firm.
Start on a good basis
In preamble, Gilles Vidal discusses the platform dedicated to electric vehicles called CMF-EV – released by the Nissan Ariya – which offers designers a promise of total architectural freedom. And not to spoil anything, the proportions are optimal with large diameter wheels (Editor’s note: up to 20 inches) located in the corners. “This is the holy grail for stylists who start out in good posture“says the man who in a previous life oversaw the Peugeot eLegend concept car.
“Front engine architecture reduces weight by 100 kg“
“We chose an architecture with a front engine for the following reasons” says Gilles Vidal. First, this reduces the length of the cables between the different electrical components. Second, it preserves a good volume of trunk with a gain of 60 liters vis-à-vis our competitors who have opted for the engine at the rear (Editor’s note: the Volkswagen ID.3). Third, this installation saves a hundred kilos, again, compared to rivals who have their electromotor placed in the back.
Microptics: the technological gem?
The Renault style boss says he wanted generous and sensual shapes while sober without artifice or artificially added element. A simplicity that highlights the technological elements like headlights named internally microptics. The elements are very thin at the front and at the back and adopt a texture composed of very fine light lines. A set that evokes more the universe of a concept car than that of a production model. Technically, these are laser-etched lines at the heart of the material. A result that Gilles Vidal describes as a technological gem. The latter tells us that “the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric will be the ideal tool for upgrading the brand “.
“We put forward the width offered by this vehicle by modeling its sides by an alternation of hollows and relief like a sculpture. This evokes the generous habitability on board” says the director of the diamond brand. And to chain “The aerodynamic performance, essential to ensure a comfortable range, helps us in design. ” While in the detail, the simplicity of the logo, which would almost pass for flat design, nevertheless conceals a sophisticated metallic brushing. “Let’s not forget that our new logo evokes an isometric perspective with its two interconnected half rhombuses ” explains Gilles Vidal. Thus a presentation of the emblem in relief, as was the case in the past, would have been too much.
TO READ. Renault. The new logo explained by Gilles Vidal
Show off your batteries or suggest them?
At the bottom of the doors, the protections are decorated with a pattern evoking the batteries which are housed just behind in the vehicle floor. ” We opted for a covering with streaks that evoke energy. We originally thought we would use a relief pattern but it was both undesirable and too messy ” explains Gilles Vidal. The multilayer laser grain used ultimately gives us a much more high-tech effect while being easy to clean.
The best is inside ?
On board, Gilles Vidal illustrates the storage tips with a large space at the feet of the front passenger, a large and deep bin under the floating center console. Space which is compartmentalizable at leisure by means of removable walls. Once these have been removed, a handbag naturally finds its place, well wedged. An ingenuity that we had not seen at first glance, our attention being captured by the very imposing screens totaling a surface area equivalent to 24 inches.
TO READ. Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric (2022). On board the new compact
Before leaving Gilles Vidal, as long as we had it on hand, we couldn’t resist talking to him of the future electric R5, the other star of the Renault stand at the Munich Motor Show. Stay tuned, we’ll tell you more very soon.
TO READ. Munich Motor Show (2021). All the stars in photos and videos
