The Renault 5 comes as a retro electric car

Renault 5 Prototype 2021

Renault announces a small electric car in the design of the classic R5. It will be on the market by 2024 at the latest. Range: at least 400 kilometers.

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

Renault is planning an electric car in the design of the iconic small car Renault R5

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter rear view
Source: Renault

The rear of the Renault 5 Prototype also very clearly cites the classic R5

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

The small electric car will be on the market by 2024 at the latest. Then, due to EU regulations, production of the Renault Zoe will end

Renault R5
Source: Renault

Renault produced the classic Renault R5 in two generations from 1972 to 1996

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

Renault places the charging connection on the bonnet. There is an air outlet there on the classic R5

Renault 5 Prototype side view
Source: Renault

The five-door body suggests that there will be no three-door model

Renault 5 Prototype side view
Source: Renault

Renault’s new electrical platform CMF-EV allows very short overhangs and thus a lot of space in the interior

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter rear view
Source: Renault

The rear of the Renault 5 Prototype also very clearly cites the classic R5

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

Renault’s electric platform provides for battery capacities of at least 40 kWh

Renault 5 Prototype side view
Source: Renault

Sure: The oversized wheels of the R5 Prototype are typical elements of a design study and will be a size smaller in the production model

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

The small electric car will be on the market by 2024 at the latest, when production of the Renault Zoe will end due to EU regulations

Renault R5
Source: Renault

Renault produced the classic Renault R5 in two generations from 1972 to 1996

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

Renault is planning an electric car in the design of the iconic small car Renault R5

With car manager Luca de Meo knows his way around automotive icons. At Fiat he was responsible for the relaunch of the retro edition of the Fiat 500 in 2007. A success that can hardly be rated highly enough: The idea of ​​reviving the classic small car has kept Fiat alive to this day. De Meo has been the new Renault boss since July 2020. And uses the same pattern. Which classic popular Renault icon could give the brand a positive boost and gain market share as a desirable electric city car? The Renault 5 (1972-1996) of course.

Renault R5 Prototype (2021) in brief

  • Small electric car in the design of the classic Renault 5
  • Five doors, wheelbase approx. 2.50 m
  • Market launch no later than 2024
  • Power from 136 hp, range from 400 km
Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter rear view
Source: Renault

The rear of the Renault 5 Prototype also very clearly cites the classic R5

With the Renault Zoe, the electric Twingo and the Twizy, Renault is broadly positioned and very successful when it comes to small electric cars. More stomach and less head can still give new impetus: The study shown as part of the new Renault strategy “Renaulution” reinterprets the classic R5 design for the electric future. The five-door body almost completely cites its silhouette, the classic air outlet in the hood becomes a charging socket. Renault has not revealed much more so far, except: The model is to be based on the newly developed CMF-EV electric platform. “CMF” stands for “Common Module Platform” in the Renault Group, “EV” for electric car. In the future, the platform will carry all new electric cars from Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi. Its features include extremely slim battery packs that disappear completely under the passenger cabin and a very compact drive.

Renault R5 Prototype: engine, battery, range

The concept allows Renault either very streamlined bodies – or, in the case of the Renault 5 Prototype, very good use of space with short overhangs at the front and rear. There is no central tunnel. With the dimensions of a Clio the R5 can offer the interior of a Mégane. For optimum efficiency, Renault relies on an energy recovery system that uses the waste heat from the engine and batteries to heat the interior. Renault plans for the platform with battery capacities from 40 kWh to 90 kWh for larger models. The range should be at least 400 kilometers. The output of the electric motor will be at least 136 HP (100 kW). The maximum possible wheelbase of the platform is 2.77 meters – around 2.50 meters are common for a small car today.

When will the electric R5 come?

When will Renault launch the retro electric R5? The French have not yet commented on this. He will inherit in the next few years Renault Zoe? One thing is clear: the Zoe, which has been produced since 2012, is now out of date in its substance. Current assistance technologies cannot be represented on the Clio 4 platform on which it is based. On the other hand, Renault has kept the Zoe attractive with regular powertrain updates. In terms of range, it can keep up with newer small electric cars. Its comparatively low price and good availability are a pound: in 2020, the Zoe will be by far the most successful Renault and the fourth most popular small car sold in Germany with more than 30,000 vehicles sold.

Renault 5 Prototype three-quarter front view
Source: Renault

The small electric car will be on the market no later than 2024. Then, due to EU regulations, production of the Renault Zoe will end

These are good reasons to keep it in the market for a while longer. However, the career of the current Zoe will end by 2024 at the latest. By law, automakers will then have to incorporate additional safety systems into all new vehicles that are not compatible with the Zoe platform. This regulation also limits the future of the current one Renault Twingowhich has been built since 2014. Renault has already announced that it intends to stop car production at the Flins plant near Paris in 2024. The Renault Zoe rolls off the assembly line there.

A look at the market environment shows that resorting to the Renault 5’s aura is a smart move and not just a show. “The R5 is closely linked to Renault’s history and represents the future of the brand. It will make electric cars popular, “says Luca de Meo. Cars are sold with cult status. Especially electric cars, which many customers have to get used to. Renault designer Gilles Vidal sees his design as” urban, electric, attractive “.

Renault R5: prices and competition

Other manufacturers had already discovered the recipe for themselves before Renault: The Fiat 500, which was once responsible for de Meo, will be launched in 2021 as the fully electric Fiat 500e. Honda is quite obviously quoting the design of the first with its electric car Honda-e Honda Civic from 1972. With the Mini SE, BMW is also electrifying a retro model. The competition also defines the price horizon: a retro small electric car costs between 30,000 and 35,000 euros today.

Renault R5
Source: Renault

Renault produced the classic Renault R5 in two generations from 1972 to 1996

Renault plans to bring 14 new models onto the market by 2015, including seven all-electric cars. It can be assumed that Renault will also bring back the classic nomenclature for the R5. A suitable historical template would also be available as a potential Twingo successor in this case: the Renault 4 (1961-1992) is also a retro quote.

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