Renault mixes comforts of home and luxury cars in a whole new way

Frankfurt — French automaker Renault is taking the whole "the car as an extension of your living room" concept to all new levels.

For its Symbioz concept car — featuring carbon fiber body panels and wheels and polycarbonate on the upper body — Renault not only unveiled an interior that mimics the materials used in the house, it created an entire house to go with it.

The Symbioz, which pictures what Renault customers will want in 2030, is designed to be parked inside the nearly 1,300-square-foot house, or even be raised to the roof level.

"We asked ourselves, How can we connect all the elements that are in your daily life, and how can we turn them into one connected, fluid ecosystem, where you can move from your house to your car to your work?" Laurens van den Acker, Renault Group's design chief, said during the automaker's Sept. 12 news conference at the Frankfurt auto show.

The Symbioz showcases connected and autonomous driving features that will be available on future models, Renault said said in a statement. It also highlights plastics as an alternative material in some high-profile areas.

Rather than simply a design exercise on a show stand, the Symbioz is presented as an ecosystem consisting of a house and an autonomous, electric and connected car that nestles into the home's interior.

"We are exploring other ways to help people enjoy traveling time," Renault's Chief Competitive Officer Thierry Bollore said as he revealed the concept. "We are showing what the world will be in 2030 for our customer."

The Symbioz is a large monospace car, with a length of 4.7 meters (15.4 feet) and a width of almost 2 meters (6.5 feet). It draws some of its inspiration from the first-generation Renault Espace minivan.

Renault says its design reflects the company's French heritage, with flowing lines and a dynamic stance. The bronze-colored carbon fiber body panels have a matte finish at the front and transitions to a glossy finish at rear. Wheels with carbon fiber spokes are meant to resemble those of a modern racing bicycle.

Clear glass or polycarbonate would be used for the windows and roof system that make up the upper half of the vehicle to maximize light for occupants. A transparent horizontal fin extends over the rear glass to emphasize the vehicle's length.

Power comes from two electric motors at the rear axle, with batteries positioned under a flat floor. Renault says the platform is optimized for electric powertrains, with the rear drive eliminating the transmission tunnel and a low center of gravity to improve handling.

The car's cabin is designed to resemble the interior of a home, using materials that include copper, marble, fabric and porcelain. Front seats can swivel to face rear passengers. In fact, Renault envisions that the car would also serve as an extra room when it is parked inside the house. Yes, inside the house.

Those interior themes are carried over into the 120-square-meter (1,290-square-foot) Symbioz house, which was designed by Marchi Architects, a French firm. Renault commissioned furniture and housewares from French designers.

"Symbioz shows how cars can play a greater role in everyday life," Van den Acker said. "We asked ourselves, what if your car became simply an extension of your home? We teamed up with architects and we designed the car as if it was a living room on wheels."

Inside, the ground floor of house has no pillars to make it easy for occupants to move around and also to provide space for the car. The upper floor is cylindrical, with a rotating cable lift to raise the Symbioz car to the roof if desired.

"The car and the home are at one with each other in complete symbiosis, as they share some of the major architectural design choices, common materials and styling," said Tina Kentner, a designer at Renault who oversaw the architectural competition to design the house.

Van den Acker's first generation of concept cars, including the Captur, Dezir and R-Space, provided a coherent design language for Renault's current strong-selling lineup. The next product cycle, starting with the Clio in 2018, will have more evolutionary styling, he said, but concepts accompanying it will be more theoretical and futuristic.

"Luckily for us it was a good moment to go conceptual because there is a slew of new technologies coming at us," he said. "It's the right time to ask ourselves very conceptual questions. How do you live with cars in the future? What do you do if you don't drive? What should a robot car look like?"

The third component of the Symbioz, which was not shown at Frankfurt, is an all-electric demonstration car that can change its interior layout depending on the drive mode selected.

The three modes include Classic, with a conventional driving position and settings focused on passenger comfort; Dynamic mode "boosts driving sensations," with stronger lateral bolsters in the driver's seat and engine response, steering and chassis settings geared toward performance. Finally, autonomous drive mode optimizes space by moving the dashboard and steering wheel back 120mm to provide more space for activities other than driving.

Renault says the Symbioz demonstration car — which looks ahead to 2023 — will be tested on the road by the end of this year. It will include connected and autonomous features that will be available on future Renault models, including the ability of passengers to remotely monitor their homes and the ability to pass through a toll booth without input from the driver.