Renault has revealed this dramatic gullwing coupe ahead of its 2010 Paris motor show debut. While some are getting excited about a potential rebirth of the Alpine brand, this is no modern-day A610 – instead, the DeZir concept previews the future design direction of more mainstream Renaults. And in our eyes that’s pretty excellent news. While a return of the rear-drive Renault coupe would be a welcome one, sharper, more aggressive looking hot Clios and Meganes wouldn’t go amiss, either. Those doors will no doubt stay on the DeZir, though… It’s mid-engined, so to speak, an electric motor boasting 148bhp and 167lb ft sat between driver and rear axle. Modest outputs, perhaps, but a tubular steel frame and Kevlar bodywork ensures an 830kg kerbweight, leading to a sub-supercar 0-62mph sprint of five seconds. The batteries provide a range of 100 miles. It’s rear-wheel drive and boasts a similar suspension set-up to the Megane Trophy racing car, so handling should be more than competent, while a low drag coefficient of 0.25Cd should make the DeZir pretty agile, too, as well as boosting both performance and economy.
Read about Mercedes-Benz's electric gullwing, the SLS E-Cell
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