The Renault Scenic Vision receives the inaugural ‘The FUTURE is HERE’ award following an in-depth investigation performed by the AUTOBEST Jury members and confirmed by Frank Stephenson, Chairman of the Think Tank. The Jury members scrutinised several concept cars released during the last year to look beyond mere design and into how sustainable and realistic their features and elements were in the automotive world.
“We are going deep in our research to understand how realistic these concept cars are and how ready they are for implementation into production. This analysis includes the percentage of recycled materials and the extent of the recyclability of the vehicle and components after regular use. We are looking to discover revolutionary technologies in any part of the concept to protect the environment and simplify carbon-neutral production. AUTOBEST was always very sensitive to the energy efficiency and production of cars. The ECOBEST Challenge European unique project is a clear example of how AUTOBEST acts in this respect.
But more than anything, our ground-breaking award is about how these new technologies are for a real mobility future in the next 3, 5, and 10 years. Our entire approach is through the eyes of millions of consumers eager to understand what makes sense for their future of mobility. We all love design statements, but `The FUTURE is HERE` goes beyond good-looking appearance, design trends or clues about future new models. It gives hundreds of millions of car users worldwide a reference about what we can all expect in our mobility future. The Renault Scenic Vision ticks all the boxes,” said Dan Vardie, Founder and Chairman of AUTOBEST.
Frank Stephenson said: “I’m very happy that the AUTOBEST Team has selected the Scenic Vision. For all the reasons Dan Vardie mentioned, and even more, I wholeheartedly agree and support this choice.`
During the ceremony at the Paris Mondial de L’Automobil, Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO, said: “We are very proud to receive this new ‘THE FUTURE is HERE’ by AUTOBEST award with our Scenic Vision concept car. As a car manufacturer, we have the opportunity, thanks to the expertise, vision and creativity of our teams, to change things by proposing concrete solutions for a more sustainable development and decarbonising our products. Today, Scenic Vision embodies the commitment of the Renault brand and its teams to a new ESG strategy and its three pillars: environment, safety and inclusion. This is more than a simple concept car, it proves that we can do it. We are already on the way!”
Scenic Vision concept is the world’s first Electric H2 range extender propulsion concept. Renault specialists merged an electric car with Li Io battery with a Hydrogen fuel cell. To make no confusion, Renault’s chief engineer for H2 projects made it clear that no hydrogen ICE engine is involved in the Scenic Vision concept.
The Scenic Vision Concept is packed with innovative technologies, a ground-breaking design and a low carbon footprint (75% lower than Megane E-TECH!).
With the Scenic Vision Concept, Renault is making a statement – the car design is not the most important feature, but its message. 90% of what the Scenic Vision looks like right now will be the production model in 2024.
Also, the new concept car embraces Renault’s strategic engagement of sustainable development: environment, security and inclusion. Recycled materials make up 70% of the concept car and 95% of the vehicle is recyclable, including the battery. With the interior, 100% of the materials in contact with the passengers are recycled, including plastic, carbon fiber and aluminum.
Another eco-statement of the Scenic Vision is that the vehicle is available only in black and white as colour pigments are a pollutant. The black colour is obtained from CO2 through a decarbonisation process. Dichroic surfaces diffract light from LEDs to create colour displays throughout the cabin.
Another interesting feature of the Renault Scenic Vision is the Safety Coach, which targets reducing accidents by 70% while visibility increases by 24%. The air purifier system can purify the air around the car when plugged in, the airbags that embrace the passengers- like a cocoon – and the face recognition system in the B pillar that change the car’s settings according to the driver stepping in the car.
The powertrain uses a 160kW electric motor powered by a Li Io battery and a 15kWh hydrogen fuel cell. The 40kWh battery is designed to be half the weight and cheaper than one made for an equivalent electric car.
Renault has communicated a range of up to 800 kilometers with a full EV battery + full H2 tank (2.5 kg) and a 5-minute stop for refilling the hydrogen tank. The battery contains recycled Li Ni-Co and the H2 fuel cell uses 100% recycled platinum.
With the Scenic Vision concept, Renault sends a clear statement on future mobility technologies; for long distances our EVs are not the best solution. A hybrid with an H2 Fuel cell might be a better solution for long travels. Pure battery electric vehicles will continue to represent the best solution for city cars.
The award was presented to Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO, during a special ceremony held in Paris Mondial de L’Automobile.
About the Think Tank’s ‘The FUTURE is HERE’ award
In 2021, during the Barcelona Gala Awards, AUTOBEST announced a new Think Tank named ‘The FUTURE is HERE’ led by the legendary Frank Stephenson, a proud member of DESIGNBEST Hall of Fame. This award is a new global initiative to scrutinise the future of mobility as it is seen in concept cars. The Think Tank members have already started to analyse the latest concepts and evaluate how many of these come with meaningful, realistic, useful and sustainable technologies, materials, design and production proposals. The best concept car from this multi-perspective will win ‘The FUTURE is HERE’ globally unique award. It is a part of a new line of awards – next to the ‘A STAR is BORN’ and `The Rising Star` prizes- which are not directly related to the usual awards delivered during the AUTOBEST Gala.
About AUTOBEST
The AUTOBEST organisation was established in 2001 with the revolutionary concept of “best buy car” available on the European market. A total of 32 European nations is now represented in the Jury, covering the vast majority of the European population. For a car to become an AUTOBEST winner, it must represent the best offering for most European customers. Price, service network, spare parts distribution and versatility are the most important criteria in the voting process. Design and new technologies are becoming important criteria for voting. AUTOBEST uses a transparent voting system, with a complex matrix of 13 criteria to decide the winner.
For more info please visit www.autobest.org or contact Laura Vamanu, pr@autobest.org
