There are many novelties in the automotive sector, and all of them require prior running-in to check their dynamism on the road. To improve the mechanical section, it is necessary to put future releases into circulation, but doing so entails the risk of being seen, especially today when we all have a camera on our mobile phone. For those previous moments of development, the so-called camouflage was invented, which is still an artistic decoration that hides the lines of the car and prevents us from knowing its definitive forms ahead of time. Until now, all these camouflages were very similar , but Renault has wanted to go one step further with a unique style that we have discussed with François, current Design Director of the firm and in charge of hiding the new Renault Austral from us.
Of the next novelty of the French firm we only know the name and, slightly, the rear area with the optical groups sharpened in the purest Mégane E-Tech Electric style. It is logical that, if you drive with an unknown car to date, anyone can take a photo and send it to specialized magazines or post it on their social networks. These types of paparazzi photos are called “spyshots” (spy photos) and are usually of prototypes caught red-handed filming on public roads or mythical circuits such as the Nürburgring . These types of models are covered in psychedelic black and white stickers, something that delays their official reveal and allows the brand to control the message.
nice camouflage
These types of decorations are quite ugly to look at , even more so when seen on a car. They deform the lines and reduce design elements to a minimum, which then become key: front air intakes, shapes of the roof and rear and even the headlights themselves. It is impossible to detect an edge correctly, something that makes the product ugly and that they wanted to evolve from Renault. As François explains to us: “By working on its camouflage, we wanted to turn the final test phases of New Renault Austral into a key moment of the official reveal device and at the same time accompany the brand’s new visual identity”.
We already saw it in the previous phases of the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, which moved proudly through the French streets with a modern and even attractive camouflage design. It was about hiding with beauty, thus creating a certain expectation and proposing a kind of “pre-reveal” or pre-launch . As we see in the images, this graphic and disconcerting camouflage fulfills the objective of concealing but does so with a certain elegance.
thedazzle
For those of us who are motor journalists, art is similar to what we feel for cars. For the Austral, François has opted for a geometric decoration called Dazzle or razzle dazzle , which was used in the First World War on Anglo-Saxon ships. With this contrast they tried to break the perspective, the reflections and the light to complicate the life of the enemy gunsmiths.
In that sense, the Austral bets on this combination with a strong contrast in black and white, something that generates optical vibrations to those who see the car in motion. Far from being an external and added adhesive, this camouflage has been made to measure to fit the body parts using a 3D model of the Austral. In this way, the visual game adapts to the relief of supports such as the hood or the rear wings, without harming the natural image of the SUV. Another aesthetic wink that Renault has allowed in this dazzle is the superimposition of shiny elements, something that adds sophistication to the camouflaged car.
