Renault Frendzy concept (2011) first official pictures

Renault has revealed its new 66bhp electric city vehicle – the Frendzy – and in true concept car style it features non-symmetrical doors (think Mini Clubman) and a TV screen instead of a rear window on the other side (think Pimp My Ride…).

This is the 'Work' instalment of new styling chief Laurens van den Acker's series of concept cars showing the different sides of Renault design. It's also a hint of the new Kangoo.

At first glance the rear looks like a van with its sloped loading bay, but flipping open a compartment reveals a fold-out rear bench. The minimalistic theme to the interior maximises space, welcome in a compact MPV. The fabric roof can adapt to luggage space.

The Renault Frendzy has two sides – ‘family’ and ‘work’. Its ‘work’ side (right) has a 37in plasma screen where the rear window was and a rear sliding door. The ‘family’ side has suicide doors and the luxury of side windows.

During ‘family’ mode, the Frendzy’s door mirrors swivel round to the horizontal position and the interior is orange-lit. In ‘work’ mode, they sit upright and the interior lighting is green. The point of this is yet to be explained.

Renault says the Frendzy concept car has all the properties of a mobile office. A detachable Blackberry tablet allows you to work on the move – although a usually safety-conscious Renault doesn’t mention who’s concentrating on the road…

Unfortunately you can’t. The Frendzy is a concept to hint at Renault’s future designs, mainly for the Kangoo, which will be replaced in the near future. One final message to Citroen: when designing future dual purpose cars, remember the Citroen C3 Pluriel…

By Jack Constantine