Renault announced this sportwagon concept Friday, in advance of its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The show
car is driven by Renault’s 2-liter, 177 hp diesel, and features a number of innovative features, including the
“checkerboard” rear quarter windows, a transparent roof, a panoramic windshield that recalls the Skoda
Roomster concept, and a form of active aerodynamics that Renault calls the “Synthetic Jet” which adjusts to
optimize drag depending on the speed of the car.
The full press release and more pictures after the jump.
[Source: Renault, racewaynews]
Press Release:
“Altica strikes a successful balance between
flowing and sporty lines. This car is an original and futuristic vision of the sporty estate car, while its graphic
identity is both bold and innovative.”
Patrick le Quément, Renault’s Senior Vice President,
Corporate Design.
Renault has taken the wraps off its new concept car, Altica, a sporty estate that
combines flowing lines with a spacious interior. Its dynamic stance is underpinned by a long bonnet and curved forms,
while its modular interior ensures outstanding load capacity.
Altica stands out as a dynamic vision of the
estate, combining the practicality of the latter, the sports appeal of a coupé and a high standard of travelling
comfort.
Flowing, sporty lines
The panoramic windscreen and rear window underline the car’s
fluid aerodynamics. The two-tone paintwork accentuates the side design and also asserts Altica’s graphic identity. The
car’s overall stance – low-slung lines, long bonnet, prominent wings – and proportions express true sports
car dynamics. Comprised of a mosaic of transparent panes, the rear quarter lights suggest forward movement.
Altica’s interior mirrors its sporty, dynamic exterior design. The suspended drive station is held in place by four
profiled rods that hint at the world of Formula 1.
The transparent roof and panoramic windscreen erase the
boundary between the interior and the outside world and also ensure a brightly-lit cabin. The mosaic design of the rear
quarter lights allows sunlight to filter into the cabin much like it does through stained glass windows and gives the
interior a more welcoming feel. The layout and angling of the panes ensure good three-quarter rear visibility for the
driver which is indispensable when parking.
The headlamps feature four different modes – daytime
running lights (DRL), sidelights, dipped beam and main beam – and function using rows of diodes.
They also produce a halo effect when the DRL mode is selected. This is achieved in two ways. First of all, each
polycarbonate headlamp module cover is speckled with thousands of small, micro-engraved nicks. Invisible to the naked
eye, these nicks have no effect on the beams and permit light to pass unhindered. In the daytime running mode, however,
the surface of the module cover is illuminated from the edge. The light is accordingly trapped inside the mass and
spreads out like a fluid over the entire surface to produce an original and effective halo effect for the DRL and
sidelight functions.
An estate with the accent on style
Altica’s sports pedigree is
reinforced by its scissor doors, the form of which ensures easy access to this low vehicle.
The generous
interior volumes of Altica provide a very high standard of travelling comfort despite the car’s sporty characteristics.
Each of the four individual seats boasts outstanding comfort.
Instead of the seats, which are fixed, it is
the drive station and pedal assembly that adjust to match the driver’s physique thanks to a motorized mechanism. The
height-adjustable centre armrest deploys automatically as the driver sits down.
The vertical positioning
of the dashboard takes its inspiration from the world of aeronautics and permits the driver to feel at one with the
car.
The centrally-positioned dial features two display modes: “comfort” and “sport”.
The “comfort” mode indicates the car’s speed in the centre of the display while the perimeter shows the legal
speed limits which turn red if exceeded. In the “sport” mode, the speed continues to be displayed in the
middle of the dial but the perimeter becomes a digital rev counter and turbo pressure indicator. The graphics of the
high-resolution screen provide a distinctly human touch to this high-tech display which itself suggests watchmaker-like
precision and sophistication.
Altica features a number of clever storage spaces, including the shell-like
glove box, concertina-style storage compartment in the armrests and a tray situated underneath the floor at the
rear.
The rear seat backs can be folded into the flat floor which is equipped with straps that permit
heavy or bulky loads to be held secure. This layout transforms Altica into a two-seater sports coupé with a vast
1,300-litre boot, while the boot lid provides very easy access and an extremely low loading sill.
Driving
pleasure, power and control
Altica is a dynamic sporty estate that combines driving pleasure with a
sensation of power and control.
With its long bonnet, sports dimensions (length: 4.27m; width: 1.83m) and
very low centre of gravity, Altica offers remarkable performance.
Altica’s new 177hp 2.0 dCi particulate
filter-equipped diesel engine takes the car from a standing start to 100kph in just 7.5s. Coupled with a six-speed
gearbox, this powerplant – which boasts maximum torque of 380Nm – provides excellent pull-away and
mid-range acceleration. This hasn’t been achieved to the detriment of fuel consumption, however. The Renault-Nissan
Alliance engine is very inexpensive to run and fuel consumption is equivalent to 140g of CO2 per kilometre. In terms of
both performance and driving pleasure, it stands out as the best diesel engine in its class and a version of which,
without the particle filter, debuts in the Laguna GT dCi 175 this month.
Altica’s low fuel consumption
also stems from its exceptional aerodynamics. Located at the extremity of the roof at the point where the vehicle and
the passing air flow separate, a discreet mechanical system generates jets of air which are alternately blown and
sucked through a 2mm wide slit. Known as “Synthetic Jet”, the system actively controls the separation of the
air flow according to the vehicle’s speed. This innovative technique, which reduces drag and controls the structure of
the air flow, is a registered Renault patent and reduces the car’s Cd at 80mph by 15% for an energy consumption of just
10W.
Valeo
Altica’s lights employ high-performance light emitting diodes (LEDs).
The dipped and main beam functions are housed in a single module which tops a linear directional light. The LED control
unit permanently adapts the quantity and orientation of the beam as a function of the conditions.
During
motorway driving, the LEDs that ensure long range visibility are automatically activated and controlled to guarantee
optimum visibility at all times without dazzle. The colour of the light emitted by the LEDs is similar to that of
daylight for enhanced optical comfort and visibility.
The daytime running light (DRL) mode, which is
activated most of the time while the car is moving, also use LEDs. Their high efficiency and the low amount of energy
they require significantly reduce the power that is consumed compared with a conventional light source. The life
expectancy of LEDs is also much longer than that of all contemporary light sources.
As a world first, the
sidelight function is ensured by a veil of light that covers the entire headlamp thanks to Valeo’s exclusive
MicroOptique technology.