The lowdown
Renault’s renewed assault on the premium car sector begins today, with this luxurious Nepta showcar. It’s a vast, opulent convertible, designed to waft you across continents as if the golden age of motoring hadn’t been superseded by the budget airline revolution. The Nepta is Renault’s attention-seeking concept for this month’s Paris motor show. Unsually for La Regie, it has a twin-turbocharged V6 mounted longitudinally and turning the rear wheels. Show car flight of fancy or a taste of things to come? Renault has publicly committed to launching five luxury cars between 2007 and 2009, and doubling top-end output to 200,000 cars a year. The Nepta lays down a marker for Renault’s premium push. But will any of the production cars be rear-drive, and will the Nepta be one of them…?
From the golden age of car design
Renault says the Nepta’s design is inspired by classic grand tourers, although the details and technology are thoroughly modern. The proportions and stance are very stately, with a long, tapered rear end containing a sizeable overhang. The Nepta features wave-shaped panels to create a sense of fluidity, while the car has a two-tone effect thanks to the aluminium lower body section. The wheels measure 23 inches in diameter, and their massive size is in keeping with the Nepta’s barge-like dimensions. It measures almost 5m-long, and is wider (though lower) than Bentley’s forthcoming GTC cabrio.
Under the skin
The mechanicals are throughly intriguing. The 3.5-litre V6, used by both Renault and Nissan, is here breathed on by twin turbochargers and has direct injection to save fuel. Peak outputs climb from 241bhp and 243lb ft to a hefty 420bhp and 413lb ft. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission, with gearchanges operated by wheel-mounted paddles. Renault claims a 0-62mph sprint in 4.9sec. Will future premium Renaults be rear-wheel drive? It’s eminently possible, as Renault and Nissan (and perhaps GM, if their proposed alliance goes ahead) step up the amalgamation of their platforms. However, Renault’s definition of a luxury car is one that costs more than £18,500, so the resolutely front-wheel drive Lagunas and Espaces land in the luxury bracket too.
Luxurious cabin
Typically for a Renault concept, the Nepta has a cabin packed with eye-catching details. The dashboard looks as if it’s floating. Old-school leather and contemporary aluminium wrap around analogue and digital instruments, to reinforce the mix of classic and modern. The controls conform to Renault’s ‘touch design’ theory, where everything that’s touched feels soft and sensual, and located within easy reach. The Nepta has a BMWiDrive-style multi-media control system, the paddles are designed to melt into the driver’s hands. And the pedals can be re-positioned to provide the optimum driving position. The Nepta can seat four on those shapely, leather seats.
Amazing details: the doors
The Nepta has a couple of party tricks up its sleeve. Access to the cabin is via two doors that resemble giant clamshells, swinging on hinges positioned on the bonnet and boot.
Amazing details: the lamps
The three-section lights – for the indicators, daytime running lights and headlamps – are also extremely sophisticated. Each unit is compact and clever, thanks to the use of light-emitting diode technology. The strength of the beam is determined according to the ambient light, while the light is channeled according to the direction the steering wheel, to illuminate around corners.