Why did your enter the TreZor in the prototype and concept car category at Villa d’Este?
Stéphane Janin – The cars that participate at Villa d’Este are unique pieces. The automobile is celebrated as a timeless and precious work of art rather than a mass-market industrial product. When you enter a car in the competition, you dream it will win a prize – and another in 50 years’ time. The selection criteria are very demanding. For the prototype and concept car category, the vehicle must display high-quality, original and accomplished design and be able to be driven. Models cannot enter. The TreZor meets all these criteria and fits very well with the spirit of this major event in automobile elegance. It competed with the spectacular Techrules Ren electric super car with a three in a row seat configuration that was designed by Fabrizio and Giorgetto Giugiaro. So winning was no easy feat…
What does winning this international design prize represent for the Renault brand?
S. J. – The biggest automobile connoisseurs and collectors from the entire world attend this event. The award to the TreZor is therefore an acknowledgement by pleasure car experts. It gives the brand visibility to a public that doesn’t know it or barely knows it. On Saturday, I met an American collector who stopped in his tracks when he saw the TreZor, saying how superb it was, before taking a photo. He did not know the Renault brand, but will no doubt talk about it in very positive terms in the future. The outreach from this is perhaps abstract and difficult to quantify, but it is certain that opinion leaders will be spreading the word about our brand in terms of quality.
What did you feel when the award was announced?
S. J. – The prize comes as recognition of the work accomplished by the project’s team. It is the third award won by the TreZor since the start of the year: firstly the FIA* award in Paris, then the Car Design News prize in Geneva. The first reflected media recognition and general opinion in a broader context and the second was about peer recognition since it was awarded by automobile sector professionals. This third prize reflects the esteem of the big car collectors who see cars as works of art. And we are very proud of this.
*Fédération Internationale Automobile
