The Renault Vel Satis was an executive car

Executive car

Executive car is a British term that refers to a car's size and is used to describe an automobile larger than a large family car. In official use, the term is adopted by EuroNCAP, a European organisation founded to test car safety.- History :...

 produced by the French manufacturer Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

, launched at the 2001 Geneva Motorshow

Salon International de l'Auto

The International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...

 to replace the already-discontinued Safrane

Renault Safrane

The Renault Safrane was an executive car designed and built by the French manufacturer Renault from 1992 to 2000. Throughout its lifespan it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available...

. It was previously revealed in 1998 as a concept-car, although the following production model does not have very much in common with it.

The name Vel Satis is a composite of elements of the words Velocity and Satisfaction. A specially prepared Vel Satis was used by the President of France until 2009.
The Vel Satis is distinguished by its unusual height (13 cm higher than a Safrane), which benefits interior space but results in proportions some viewed as being ungainly.