Fascination: Will Renault 4/5 bring success back? : Soon in electric

2023-11-30 18:08:50

Fascination: Will Renault 4/5 bring success back? Soon in electric

Ampere

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Renault is becoming an electric brand. Megane, Scenic and Kangoo were just the beginning. The big step towards a plug brand should be achieved with the new edition of Renault 4 and 5, which will roll out on the international markets in 2024/2025.

Who in Renault thinks that young classics such as the first Twingo, a Clio, the crazy Avantime or the practical family all-purpose weapon Kangoo come to mind. If you look a little further into the rearview mirror and look at the history, you can hardly avoid an R4 or R5 and these two are exactly going to be given a new electric version. “The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is a cult icon designed for the modern age. With its cheerful design and new generation technologies, it aims to make electric vehicles more affordable in Europe,” says Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of the Renault brand. Anyone who is already interested in the electric Renault 5 will have to be patient, because the new version with a plug will only be available in the shops in autumn 2024. The new Renault 4 will follow in 2025 as well as a new electric entry-level model for less than 20,000 euros, which is currently the has the internal name “Legend” and should only consume 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. Success shouldn’t be long in coming – Renault’s Ampere electrical unit wants to be in the black from 2025 and achieve an operating margin of ten percent from 2030.

Despite its image-rich large models such as Vel Satis or Renault 30, Renault is particularly considered a French brand that stands for cars that are both compact and affordable. An electric Renault 5 E-Tech is supposed to drive into this currently largely unexploited gap in order to win new customers for Brandrhombus and electromobility. Since the technology of the 3.92 meter long electric model has nothing in common with history and the vehicle, which was officially unveiled for the first time at the end of February 2024, will have larger dimensions for comfort and crash reasons, its design is of central importance. Here, the front, flanks and proportions in particular are intended to ensure the incomparable Renault 5 charm that thrilled fans in the 1970s and 1980s. The LED headlights are a central design element, as they are intended to be reminiscent of the 1972 commercial “The Adventures of Supercar”.

The flared fenders are intended to underline the sporty character of the Renault 5, even in the electric version, and are at least vaguely reminiscent of the chubby corner chaser R5 Turbo. Instead of turbo power, there is an electric motor at prices starting at 25,000 euros that is powered by a 52 kWh battery pack that is supposed to provide a range of 400 kilometers to the next charging stop. In order to make the price as low as possible, an entry-level version with a 40 kWh battery is planned, which should follow in 2025. Starting next fall, the small car will be Renault’s first vehicle with vehicle-to-grid technology that can feed energy into the power grid.

The Renault 5, like all other electric models, is finally developed, produced and marketed under the newly founded Ampere division. The goal is to reduce electric vehicle list prices by 40 percent using a cost-cutting roadmap and to sell one million electric vehicles annually by the beginning of the next decade. The planned seven electric models should be at the same price level as comparable combustion models by 2027/2028. The Renault 5 Electric is the first vehicle to be based on the new AmpR Small platform, formerly known as CMF-B EV. Above this is the so-called AmpR Medium platform for the C-segment models.

The electric five-series is produced in Douai, France, where Renault is currently setting up its so-called Electri City site. “For the comeback of this icon, we wanted to reinvent the traditional vehicle launch. We are gradually unveiling the design of this retro-futuristic model long before its launch with a large-scale communication plan,” explains Arnaud Belloni, Global Chief Marketing Officer, “the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is undoubtedly the ideal vehicle for this approach, because it is the rebirth or even the reinvention of a legend, undoubtedly one of the most iconic vehicles in the history of the French automotive industry.”

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