One of the vehicles that were supposed to steal all the attention at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show (got canceled) was an interesting concept from Renault called ‘Morphoz’. Some of its styling and the ‘oz’ in the name might remind you of the Symbioz concept of 2017.
While the Symbioz wants to be an extension of its owner’s home, the Morphoz can extend itself, literally. The idea of the Morphoz is to play a dual tole; to be two vehicles in one. It has got two modes: City and Travel; the latter makes space for additional batteries and luggage space.
In ‘Travel’ mode, the Morphoz kinda reminds us of some Range Rovers. In this mode, the Morphoz measures 4.80 metres (City: 4.40 m) long with a wheelbase of 2.93 metres (City: 2.73 m). However, those additional numbers appear to make space only for batteries and luggage.
As for the battery pack, the City mode carries a capacity of 40 kWh, while the Travel mode can accommodate a total of 90 kWh energy. The extra batteries are loaded through dedicated platforms from underneath the vehicle.
As the photos would suggest, only the front and rear (overhang) sections extend while the door sizes remain the same.
Built on the Alliance’s new modular CMF-EV electric platform, the Morphoz imagines a personal electric vehicle beyond 2025 that can also be shared among friends and family members.
Accessing the interior is through gesture controls and facial recognition.
Inside, the Morphoz uses several recycled materials. These include wood for the dashboard, plastic for the door pads, and fabric for the seats. The seats themselves are an interesting feature. If required, the front passenger seat can be flipped/swiveled to face the rear passengers. The high-tech seats also come with integrated Harman Kardon speakers.
The steering wheel too is an interesting one. It has got clear glass with illuminated lines that form the inner part. There are touch-sensitive buttons with haptic feedback; one of which lets the driver access Multi Sense settings.
Other features include a floating (and folding) dashboard called ‘Livingscreen’, which is an 80 cm wide OLED screen that contains driving, navigation and entertainment information. The usual driving mode selector lever has been replaced by four touch buttons.
Another interesting fact is that the wood on the centre console morphs to accommodate a smartphone when placed on it.
The centre console also houses a shared screen, where the passengers can scroll through the music library on one of their smartphones or can play video games. The screen also lets the users control the comfort of the passenger compartment via the Multi Sense settings. Apparently, the Artificial Intelligence onboard can make suggestions such as offering a playlist to suit the mood and preferences of each occupant. There’s onboard 5G connectivity too.
The Morphoz is powered by a single electric motor on the front axle. In the City mode, the output is 100 kW (136 hp) and in the Travel mode, the Morphoz offers 160 kW (218 hp).
The Morphoz is capable of Level 3 autonomous driving too. More information here. “It (Morphoz) prefigures a new family of Renault electric models that will arrive from 2021,” the company said.
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