With the recent onslaught of sporty hybrid vehicles, you’d wonder what a respected name like RenaultSport is waiting for. Apparently, such vehicles in the brand’s portfolio are still five to ten years away, which is odd because they’re partners with one of the biggest electrifiers in the business – Nissan.
We knew they were coming, but according to Autocar, which quotes the managing director of RenaultSport, Patrice Ratti, they’re not around the corner. Ratti says “Hybridisation could help because of the CO2 [savings]. What’s also great with electric motors is the acceleration. We’re working on it, but we cannot go too expensive with technology.”
He blames current storage technology for the delay in introduction, stating that in lugging battery packs around, you simply add too much extra weight. Cost and range are additional issues cited as currently hampering the appearance of an electrified RS, as well.
Renault’s pals at Nissan are said to be electrifying their next generation sports car. Why do we have to wait close to a decade before RS joins in on the act?
Their co-nationals over at Peugeot are at it too, and at a far more advanced state than Renault. Peugeot showed the electrified 308 R HYbrid concept at the Shanghai motor show, and there’s no other way of putting this, but it has 500PS (!) and all-wheel drive… in a 308 hatch body with cartoonishly wide flares.
Peugeot even teased us with a half-camouflaged widebody 308 that looked suspiciously like said concept. If that really is the monster hybrid and they really are making it with similar specs, then we should be very excited indeed and Renault should really get a move on.
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