“But you have also an emotional relation with the machine, and you control the machines – it’s not the screens controlling the machine.
“When you buy a sports car, you want to be in control. You don’t want the car to start itself. You want to master the car. You want to start the car. You have your ritual. You want to set your things.
“It’s not the car that drives you and controls you, it’s the opposite.”
Villain also gave some more clues as to the final design of the electric A110, revealing that “there are no retro cues”, unlike the current car which is heavily inspired by the 1960s A110.
There will, however, be “all the codes of the A110” so it is recognisable as the descendant of today’s mid-engined car – the quad headlights and squat, mid-engined silhouette being cited as key examples. However, the “form language” he said, will be more closely related to the A390 – so expect a sharply pointed nose, a swooping roofline and swollen arches to be among its defining characteristics.
Villain emphasised that the electric A110 will be no taller than the outgoing petrol car, hinting that it will not have its battery under the floor as is conventional with EVs – but perhaps behind the seats for optimal weight distribution, or arranged in a T-shape like the Maserati Granturismo Folgore.
“We’ll keep it super low. It’s super important that we keep it low.”
Villain refused to be drawn on when the wraps will come off the electric A110, following the recent release of the first official preview image, but the current ICE car has only months left in production and it is likely the company will look to minimise the length of time its halo product is off the market.
Company bosses earlier confirmed that – as well as being as low as the current car – the new A110 will also be lighter than its combustion-engined rivals, despite the switch to EV.
Outgoing Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo told Autocar that the company had made a “not rational” decision to “invest a lot of money” in a bespoke electric sports car platform for the next A110 and its derivatives – including a 2+2 version called the A310 – but it had “looked at Porsche for inspiration” in how to successfully build a sports brand.