Renault recently unveiled its Renault 5 Prototype battery electric vehicle as part of Groupe Renault’s overall “Renaultution” strategy. While the cute little city car won’t make it Stateside, it does give us an idea of what to expect from the Alliance.
The cute little Renault 5 is a rebirth for the brand, and interestingly the Renault 5 was sold here as the Le Car. It’s 100% electric this time, and Renault says “it kept the fun, anti-crisis and mischievous side.”
Gilles Vidal, Renault Design director, describes the car as, … .based on the R5, cult model of our heritage. This prototype simply embodies modernity, a vehicle relevant to its time: urban, electric, attractive.”
Details are scant on the prototype, but it is spearheading an overall initiative to shit Renault to a tech service and clean energy brand.
Of the 14 core vehicles Renault plans to launch by 2025, 7 of those will be fully-electric. Of the new models aren’t BEV, there will be an option for a hybrid.
This all makes sense as Europe moves toward limiting ICE vehicles in city centers. It’ll soon be very difficult to buy a car on the continent that doesn’t have a hybrid our electric-only option and be able to drive it anywhere.
While we don’t see the need for Renault to return to the shores of the U.S., it would be kind of fun to see a modern day Le Car on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
