TheArsenale partnered with Mobilize (Renault Group) for a limited-edition electric Duo microcar, unveiled at their Fairmont Monte Carlo store, blending brutalist aesthetics with urban mobility. Founder and CEO Patrice Meignan (left); Creative Director Marcela Meignan (right). © TheArsenale
“Rethink urban mobility not as a product, but as a cultural object.”
What inspired the collaboration with Mobilize (Renault Group’s new mobility project), and how did the concept for this ‘capsule of electric energy’ take shape?
(Patrice Meignan, Founder of TheArsenale) Mobilize came to us with a clear ambition: rethink urban mobility not as a product, but as a cultural object. At TheArsenale, that’s exactly where we operate. We don’t design ‘cars’, we design symbols of movement. The Duo already had this radical, almost architectural clarity. Our idea was to reveal its energy rather than transform it. This is how the concept of a ‘capsule of electric energy’ emerged. A compact object that concentrates power, light and purpose. It is mobility distilled to its essence. The collaboration was almost natural: Mobilize pushes new mobility, we push new culture. When those two forces meet, you get a statement piece rather than a conventional limited edition.
“Beauty is function.”
The limited edition is described as a ‘moving artwork’. Why is it important to create objects that are both beautiful and functional?
(PM) Beauty is function. Especially in a dense urban ecosystem where objects must compete for attention, meaning and purpose. A ‘moving artwork’ is not a decorative exercise; it’s a way to give emotional value to an everyday tool. If mobility is to evolve, people must desire it. Functionality without beauty is tolerated. Beauty without function is fleeting. But when you merge the two, you create something that people want to live with, protect, personalise. This emotional relationship is the foundation of the new mobility era.
“It became identifiable from distance, almost like a signal. In cities, identity is everything.”
Can you elaborate on the symbolic use of ‘electric blue’ and how it shaped the Duo’s aesthetic and identity?
(PM) We were looking for a colour that wasn’t simply ‘electric’ but that communicated energy with dignity. TheArsenale’s Intergalactic Blue carries a narrative: futurism, velocity, and a form of controlled intensity. When applied to the Duo, it becomes a uniform—a skin that shifts the perception of the object from ‘urban EV’ to ‘design artefact’. Electric Blue also allowed us to create a sharp visual contrast with the black technical elements, turning the Duo into a sculptural volume. It became identifiable from distance, almost like a signal. In cities, identity is everything.
The concept store where the Duo is displayed in Monaco is described as a ‘Villa Medici of mobility’. How do you envision this space influencing future creative collaborations or customer experiences?(PM) TheArsenale Monaco is more than a store: it is a cultural embassy dedicated to movement. We curate machines the same way a museum curates art, but with the energy of a design studio. The ‘Villa Medici of mobility’ expression captures this duality. For future collaborations, the space becomes a laboratory. Brands can prototype new visions, artists can reinterpret mobility, and customers can engage with objects in a contemplative, almost ceremonial way. This is where mobility culture is written before it reaches the streets.
“Sustainability is not communicated through slogans but through smart simplicity: less material, less noise, less footprint, more meaning.”
How does this project speak to the new generation of urban drivers, digital natives who prioritise individuality and sustainability?
(PM) Digital natives expect objects to be extensions of their identity. The Duo x TheArsenale limited edition speaks directly to this expectation. It is compact, electric, personalisable, and unapologetically expressive. Sustainability is not communicated through slogans but through smart simplicity: less material, less noise, less footprint, more meaning. It also acknowledges a key shift: urban driving is no longer about horsepower, it’s about personality. The Duo becomes a micro-architectural space that belongs to them, that they can own aesthetically as much as functionally.
