TOPSTORY
Visit autoexpress.co.uk for your daily news updates
OFFICIAL
● Scenic nameplate to return as brand-new, all-electric family SUV ● Eco concept previews latest production and powertrain tech James Brodie
James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods
RENAULT has confirmed that it will reboot the Scenic name in 2024, applying the famous small MPV nameplate to a new family-sized SUV. The latest car will be pure electric, and is previewed by this: the Scenic Vision Concept. Penned by lead designer Gilles Vidal, the Scenic Vision represents Renault’s future on three fronts. Its exterior design is representative of what the 2024 Scenic will look like, and is “more than 90 per cent production car” according to Vidal. However, the powertrain technology is more a preview of what Renault thinks it could offer commercially post-2030, while the interior is pure concept-car indulgence. The Scenic Vision is not merely a hint at what’s to come from Renault passenger cars in the future. The brand is flexing its eco-credentials, showcasing what it claims are several breakthroughs on sustainability in production. As such, the concept is made from 70 per cent repurposed materials, while 95 per cent of the whole car can be recycled at the end of its lifespan. The Scenic name summons up thoughts of peak MPV popularity in the 1990s. Launched as a smaller, five-seat stablemate for the Espace in 1996, it was a surprise hit in showrooms, cementing the MPV as the most popular type of car of the time. It’s a sector that has nose-dived in recent years, however, and in 2020 the Scenic name was taken off UK sale altogether. When it returns in 2024, it will be attached to a C-sector SUV. Renault claims it will carry forward the Scenic’s original brief, by being a car aimed at families and their “changing needs”. The Scenic Vision has a bespoke platform, but the 2024 production car will use the CMF-EV architecture employed by the smaller Mégane E-Tech Electric and the larger Nissan Ariya. This will mean a fully electric powertrain, with batteries up to 90kWh in size enabling a maximum range of more than 300 miles on a full charge, if the Ariya’s specs are anything to go by. However, the powertrain in the concept does not reflect what will be on sale two years from now. Instead, it is a gaze into the next decade, using what Renault dubs a “one-of-a-kind” hybrid powertrain using battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell technology to drive a rear-mounted electric motor producing 215bhp. It is essentially a range-extender using a compact hydrogen
“SUV will carry forward the Scenic’s original brief: a car aimed at families and their ‘changing needs’” 6 Special Issue
fuel cell to recharge the car’s battery, instead of a small petrol engine. To create this sort of powertrain, Renault has devised what would be a fuel-cell vehicle, but with differently proportioned electric and hydrogen elements. Rated at 40kWh, the battery is the same as the one used in the short-range version of the Mégane E-Tech EV and is located under the front part of the floor. It holds a much larger charge than the small batteries normally seen in fuel-cell cars, yet it’s around half the size and weight of a battery used in a typical long-range EV on sale today. It can be directly recharged by plugging in at a charging point, but it’s supported by a 15kW fuel cell in the rear half of the floor for top-ups away from the plugs. This is fuelled by a high-pressure tank under the bonnet, that’s smaller and lighter than in a car with a conventional fuel cell, making it much easier to package. At 2.5kg, it’s half the weight of the tank in the Toyota Mirai. Renault claims that beyond 2030, and supported by an adequate hydrogen-filling network, a powertrain such as this could cover a 500-mile drive with only a fiveminute stop to refill the tank. There’d be no need to charge the battery, because the fuel cell can recharge the pack on the move. Measuring 4,490mm, the Scenic Vision is a little shorter than Volkswagen’s ID.4, and a bit longer than the Mercedes EQA. Leaning into the more versatile, practical aspect of the Scenic name, the concept has a 2,835mm wheelbase within its C-sector bodywork – nearly 200mm longer than that of the new combustion-powered Austral SUV, which the Scenic will sit next to in the range. As such, cabin space is generous for the car’s size. The manufacturer has resisted using the electric platform to design a car with
DESIGN Exterior indicates styling
direction of 2024 Scenic, and is “more than 90 per cent production car”
INSPIRATION Renault’s diamond-shaped logo has inspired many details in the Scenic Vision’s angular shape and styling, as well as a whole new lighting signature
ECO CONCEPT The newcomer has been designed with sustainability in mind, using recycled materials and with a viable projection for end-of-life disposal
Vision of Ren a
OFFICIAL Brand’s latest SUV concept resurrects famous
