Renault Megane Coupe Concept

Tags: concept cars, renault, geneva 2008 Published on 5 March 2008 | 7,497 views

The Renault Mégane Coupé Concept previews a production compact Megane Coupe model and continues the brand's design evolution towards a dynamic and fluid styling.

At the Geneva Motor Show Renault has unveiled its Mégane Coupé Concept, which provides a foretaste of the forthcoming Mégane Coupe.

The design builds on the trend established by the Laguna Coupé Concept, presented at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The dynamic silhouette is characterized by the large gull-wing side doors, which provide direct access to the second seats row and integrate a panoramic roof panel.

The front end design is defined by the original hood surface and by the generous low grille and alveolar air-intakes.

The interior is inspired by contemporary furniture and features independent, asymmetric front seats and sculptural and flowing shapes inspired by water forms. The cabin is finished in red laquer and a contrasting soft black leather.

The Mégane Coupé Concept is powered by by a 200hp (147kW) 2.0 liters turbocharged gasoline engine. The 0-100 km/h sprint takes 7.2 seconds and the fuel consumption is 6.5 litres/100km (154g of CO2/km).

From the official Press Release:

Design

"This show car emphatically showcases the evolution at Renault Design. Its squatter proportions and powerful, energetic styling talk directly to the driver's senses; they say 'driving pleasure'.

"The spectacular, unprecedented door-opening kinematics add that little touch of magic which contributes to the dream factor associated with the automobile," explains Renault's Patrick Le Quément, Senior Vice President, Corporate Design.

Of a total length of 4.51 metres, Mégane Coupé Concept features a modern, dynamic silhouette with taut lines that seem to suggest perpetual movement, while its alert, expressive front-end looks point at once to a truly dynamic personality.

The juxtaposition of headlamp modules with aluminium-finish air-intakes also conveys an impression of fluidity and movement.

The two rows of main and dipped beam lights sit on a crystal-like striated strip which fills the sidelight and daytime running light functions.

The headlamps use high-performance light-emitting diodes which are both long-lasting and extremely efficient. The foglamps also employ LED technology and blend harmoniously with the dynamic, front-end styling.

The shoulder-lines flow along the curvaceous sides before culminating in a squat rear-end which expresses power and movement.

The four independent tubes that make up the modern rear lights are housed in the bodywork.

The boot, which pulls open and then lifts to minimize vertical travel, echoes the kinematics of the doors which are divided into two sections.

The panelled door itself is topped by a separate glazed area and, as they open, the two parts deploy gracefully and elegantly in an independent movement redolent of dragonfly wings.

A carbon arm at the rear of the doors connects them to the body structure and the system ensures particularly easy access for passengers.

Interior

The interior is inspired by the world of contemporary furniture. The independent, asymmetric front seats, which rise up from the sills, seem to float in midair.

Their wafer-like forms express an airy lightness, while their enveloping design is a pledge of comfort and holds the occupants firmly in place.

The aperture revealed by the open doors carries over to the front seat shells and the upper part of the two rear seats.

This sculptural, one-piece structure, which is finished in fire red lacquer, ensures a seamless link between the exterior and the cabin.

The centre console extends through to the rear seats and its layered design recalls the striated bar of the headlamp modules.

The futuristic, ethereal dashboard features expressive, flowing lines and can be divided into two distinct sections: the red lacquered main structure and black nubuck inserts which can hold small items.

This embedded zone houses the sophisticated instrumentation which takes its inspiration from aviator-style watches, including a speedometer which displays the speed in analogue form on the periphery and in digital form in the centre, plus an analogue rev-counter. Both feature black metallic backgrounds with white graphics and red backlighting.

The choice of colours and materials is another means by which the exterior and interior have been harmonized to highlight Mégane Coupé Concept's volumes and magic.

The iridescent Dragon Grey body-colour goes well with the dragonfly-like door-opening mechanism and the paintwork's rainbow finish gives a different vision of the car every time the light changes: even at a standstill, it appears to be in movement.

Meanwhile, the interior's contrasting colour-scheme underpins the dynamic exterior thanks to the blend of fire red lacquer (dashboard, upper part of the centre console, front seatbacks, etc.) and softer black leather or nubuck for the door panels, seat cushions and centre console).

The door panels themselves incorporate supple, slide-locking stowage, while the floor is protected by a black, modern, graphic mesh.

Carrying over the red of the interior, there are hints of red outside, too, including the roofline, foglamp surrounds, wheel spokes and exhaust tailpipes.

Multimedia System

The different controls have been inspired by the Renault's Touch Design approach and are both simple and practical. The central multimedia control is coupled with a display divided into three zones.

The central part displays all journey-related information (navigation, radio, music, video, Bluetooth® telephone), while the screens either side show the images relayed by cameras incorporated in the exterior mirrors.

Mégane Coupé Concept is locked and unlocked using a Samsung F700 mobile phone which serves as a hands-free card and connects to the centre console.

Both rear passengers benefit from a portable Samsung P2 audio/video multimedia player with touch screen which they can use to swap files using the mp3/video Bluetooth controls.

The four-zone climate control system allows each passenger to select the temperature they prefer using controls housed either side of the dashboard in the case of the front passengers or on the front seatbacks for rear occupants.

Special care has also gone into ensuring that the cabin is brightly lit. The red backlighting of the instruments contrasts with the surrounding black backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the panoramic windscreen extends over the roof to provide additional clarity during the day and blue-hued cabin lighting at night.

Technical Features

The Mégane Coupé Concept is powered by a 200hp (147kW) 2.0 Turbo gasoline engine which delivers torque of 280Nm at 2,600rpm and peak power of 200hp at 5,800rpm.

Mated to a manual six-speed gearbox, the 2-litre turbocharged unit drives Mégane Coupé Concept from a standstill to 100kph in just 7.2 seconds, yet it returns economical fuel consumption of just 6.5 litres/100km (154g of CO2/km).

The 21-inch aluminium alloy, seven-spoke, satin-finish Dragon Grey wheels are equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres (245/35).