Is Renault planning retro 4 and 5 electric cars?
For Europeans the Renault 4 and Renault 5 were staples of cities, towns and famers’ fields from the 1960s until well into the 1990s.
These much-loved small car icons are set to be revived with electric hearts, if a Reuters report is to be believed.
The report claims new Renault boss Luca de Meo plans to announce this week (January 14th) a new strategy including creating electric vehicles that pay homage to the brand’s past designs.
UPDATE: Renault promises to make EVs cheap with revival of 4 and 5 as part of EV onslaught
Reuters sources claimed this would include the iconic Renault 4 or 4L (built between 1961 and 1994) and Renault 5 (1972-1996) city car.
In 2019 Renault showcased a one-off 4L electric convertible concept called the e-Plein Air. It used Renault’s Twizy Urban 80 quadricycle’s 13kW electric motor and 6.1kWh battery to propel its 580kg mass.
With no doors, vivid blue seats, hamper and the sort of joie de vivre so missing from much of Renault’s current vehicle line-up, a retro-styled EV paying homage to the old 4L would be a welcome shot in the arm for the struggling French brand.
Platforms ready to go
Nothing’s been confirmed, but it would make sense to platform share with Renault’s Zoe EV – the fourth best-selling electric car of all time incidentally – or use the CMF-EV platform (Common Module Family Electric Vehicle) which was developed for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
The recently revealed Megane eVision Concept sits on this platform, and is also the foundation of the Nissan Ariya.
Renault recently announced two billion euros of cost savings over three years and some 15,000 job cuts globally in an attempt to better balance its books.
Prioritising electric cars while taking inspiration from its greatest hits catalogue – the Renault 4 sold over 8 million units and the Renault 5 over 5.5 million units during their innings – looks to be a turnaround tactic for de Meo.
Renaulution in the air
The Reuters report also said as part of the “Renaulution” to be announced on January 14, Renault’s sporting arm Alpine would reveal three further electric models.
On the Australian front, Renault’s current electric effort begins and ends with the Kangoo Electric ZE Maxi van after dropping the Zoe electric car as it focused on SUVs.
Zoe’s poor Australian sales – 48 in 2018 and just 5 in 2019 – highlights our lack of appetite for city EVs at present, but who knows, a retro-inspired zero-emissions Renault 4 and Renault 5 could prove just the electric jolt the brand so needs.
