Renault has put one of its concept cars - the Scenic Vision, the vehicle which formed the basis of the forthcoming Scenic E-Tech Electric due to launch in 2024 - into a top-rated Netflix series as part of a concerted two-year product placement offensive.
The Scenic Vision, which was on-screen alongside the existing Megane E-Tech Electric hatchback, starred in Bodies, an eight-part miniseries that follows four detectives in different time zones, all trying to solve seemingly the same murder in London. It is based on a graphic novel by Si Spencer.
Solving a crime across four different eras
In the programme, detectives from 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053 are all looking into the baffling death of a man in Whitechapel's Longharvest Lane. The Scenic Vision, of course, is in the show as the car of the detective who is working 30 years into the future, while the officer of the present day drives the Megane E-Tech Electric.
Renault, of course, is keen to point out that customers won't have to wait until 2053 to get behind the wheel of the car the Scenic Vision inspired. The new Scenic E-Tech Electric will launch next year, complete with either 170hp/280Nm or 220hp/300Nm electric drivetrains that are capable of up to 620km of driving on one charge if the car is fitted with the 87kWh battery pack.
SUV body for Scenic E-Tech
In a break from Scenic traditions of old, this time around the Scenic looks more like a crossover or SUV, rather than the more prosaic MPV bodywork of the older models.
Stéphane Barbat, the marketing director for Renault Partnerships, said: "For the past two years, Renault has been pursuing an ambitious product placement programme showcasing the brand's new range. Our vehicles have appeared in several Netflix productions, such as Lost Bullet and Lupin."