Renault's Symbioz concept hints at the marque's fully-electric, connected and autonomous intentions - oh, and it doubles as a home too.
"We're creating a vehicle that's part of the human ecosystem," says Laurens van den Acker, Renault Group's vice president for design, as he wanders over to his latest concept creation - the Symbioz - in Renault's clandestine design facility. "We wanted to make a car around life, around humans," he adds, pointing to the shining copper-coloured car beside him.
In 2014, the French automaker's focus on the future of mobility became clear with the debut of its Renault e.dams motorsport team, which claimed victory in the inaugural all-electric FIA Formula E Championship in 2015. Today, ahead of the Championship's fourth season, the company's commitment to electrification is also reflected in future-focused ideas like the Symbioz, which showcase a fully-electric, autonomous and connected living space on wheels.
Despite its striking glass cockpit, subtle use of LED lighting and fetching aesthetic, the Symbioz isn't just a handsome projection of what we may be driving (or being driven in), in 2030. Van den Acker and his team designed the concept to be a fundamental part of the human ecosystem. To illustrate the point, Renault's team of designers built a full-sized, fully-functioning house to accompany the car at the Frankfurt motor show earlier this year.
"[With the Symbioz] we’re exploring the future of mobility,” says Renault Group’s head of autonomous tech Laurent Taupin. Believing that cars will be more than just isolated objects in the future, the Symbioz is designed to challenge how we perceive cars and the way we move in years to come.