Renault's work-and-family-friendly Frendzy

French carmaker set to roll out a concept that fulfils the dual requirements of work and family life
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After the notion of love expressed by the DeZir concept at last October's Paris motor show, followed by the exploratory Captur and traffic-savvy R-Space at Geneva, Renault is set to use September's Frankfurt show to reveal the work/family-focused Frendzy.

Billed as the fourth step in Renault's design strategy based on the different stages of the human life cycle, the multi-faceted Frendzy is described as an "efficient and modern work tool, yet sporting and warmly welcoming for the family."

Renault says the dual-purposed Frendzy was designed to enable motorists to "channel hop" between their intricately interwoven personal and professional lives.

The vehicle achieves its dual-pronged job description via an asymmetric layout whereby on the passenger's side there's no glazing and no centre pillar, just one conventional door and one sliding side door that incorporates a 37-inch widescreen external display. This, according to Renault, is the world of work.

Meanwhile, the driver's side features conventional side windows and centre opening doors (albeit still with no centre pillar) to allow the family to pile in and out with ease. In fact, ease of loading and entry are said to be fortes of both flanks.

To meet its weekday working brief, the Frendzy's large external screen can be used to display advertising material for your business or messages such as "making deliveries" or "back in five minutes".

Come the weekend, the vehicle easily adapts to the role of family truckster, with what Renault claims to be a comfortable passenger seat and a big rear bench seat.

Meanwhile, rambunctious kids can be kept out of mischief by watching films or playing games on the touch-sensitive pad that slides out from the back of the driver's seat. They can even draw on a special slate integrated into the sliding door.

The driver can also tailor his/her environment to the occasion. In 'work' mode, the rear-view mirrors sit upright and the interior lighting is green, while in 'family' mode, the mirrors swivel round to the horizontal position and the interior is bathed in a radiant orange ambience.

The interior design theme was inspired by "the simple yet practical world of camping" and makes extensive use of wood, which Renault says is "as much a symbol of warmth as it is of strength and timelessness". The Frendzy's leather latticework seats and removable accessories also emphasise the camping metaphor.

The seats and roof can apparently be adapted in several ways to house bulky objects, while magnetic fixings allow the load to be secured to the floor. Modular stowage systems are also touted as a practical bonus for business users.

Sensors located on each door sill log the loading or unloading of packages equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) chips containing key information such as destination address, weight and dimensions, providing users with a real-time inventory of the goods being carried in their vehicle.

The Frendzy's propulsion comes from the same electric powertrain used by the Kangoo ZE and not too dissimilar to that of the Fluence ZE, but it debuts a new sound-producing system to warn pedestrians and other road users of its presence (as electric vehicles are virtually silent).

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