Renault 4 arrives as an electric vehicle

Exactly 60 years ago, in 1961, the Renault 4 celebrated its world premiere. Now the legendary compact car is making a comeback as a retro-futuristic electric car. Renault CEO Luca de Meo announced this as part of the so-called Renaulution strategy. Models that enjoy iconic status in Europe, like the R4 and the R5, are expected to steer Renault back to the path of success.

Early Renault design studies showed a rather clumsily designed small car that had little in common with the original R4. Now, Renault has teamed up with the design center TheArsenale and presented the AIR 4 study. "The flying AIR4 study is groundbreaking and a tongue-in-cheek look at how the icon could look in another 60 years," explained Arnaud Belloni, Renault's Global Marketing Director. Let's hope that Renault designers get inspired by it.

The R4 is set to hit the market as a fully electric vehicle in 2025. It is based on the CMF-BEV platform from the French automaker, just like the new R5, and will have a range of approximately 400 kilometers. The R5 will be the sporty city model, while the role of the new R4 is not yet clearly defined. While the initial Renault studies suggested a crossover, current studies lean more towards a compact urban electric vehicle with cargo capacity.

What does that mean?

Following the R5, which will be released in 2023, another French small car icon, the R4, is making a comeback. The start of Renault's new electric offensive! Très chic!