Despite being one of the oldest names in the business (founded 1898), Renault has become something of a pioneer in the battery-electric vehicle game. With models such as the small Zoe, the dinky Twizy, the family-sized Fluence and a comprehensive range of vans, the company has done more than most to advance the cause of green motoring. It hasn’t got everything right – the early approach of selling the car but leasing the batteries put people off – but it deserves its place in the future of motoring. Bravo.
Now we have a familiar Renault name revolutionised for the future. You may remember the Megane “shakin’ that ass” ad back in 1996, and Alan Partidge’s phone conversation with his estranged wife Carol referencing her new lover’s Megane: “‘With a mere 90 break-horse-power available, progress is too leisurely to be called fast, but on the motorway in fifth gear the Megane’s slow pace really becomes a pain. Uphill runs become power-sappingly mundane, while overtaking National Express coaches can become a long, drawn-out affair.’ Not my words, Carol. The words of Top Gear magazine. Hello?”
