Start with what the Renault Zoom is: a 3-door hatchback with 25 kW Electric motor, built from 1992, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. What it meant takes a little longer.
How it came about
The Renault Zoom was an electric concept car created by Renault and Matra was first introduced at the 1992 Paris Motor Show. The small 2-seat car had a length of 2,650 mm (104.3 in) and a width of 1,520 mm (59.8 in). The Zoom was powered by a 45 kW (61.2 hp) electric motor. It was unique in having fold up rear wheels resulting in a shorter length 2,300 mm (90.6 in) when parked. Width remains constant at 1.52m, which means Zoom is 230 mm (9.1 in) higher in retracted wheelbase configuration. 2 scissor doors mounted on inclined axes reduce lateral bodywork clearance to a minimum and make Zoom easy to use in the tightest of spots.
The Zoom was an urban and suburban concept car born of common research by Renault and Matra into modern electric cars. The Zoom was a relatively early venture into the world of city runabouts and utilised an electric power system in addition to a variable wheelbase. The engine is 90 percent recyclable. A communication centre mounted between the two seats houses a hands-free telephone and power-up control for Carminat navigation system. The concept for a variable wheelbase city car was revisited by the MIT CityCar and applied in the development of the Hiriko folding two-seat urban electric car. It did not go into production due to it being a concept but also the infrastructure of the electric vehicles.
The hardware
The engine is 25 kW Electric motor. Drive goes through a CVT. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the GM (General Motors) Hummer H1, the Subaru Impreza, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Its Renault stablemates include the Renault 10 and the Renault 10CV.