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Renault 5: VM Visit Prototype Manufacturing - All About the Five!

With the electrified retro-speedster Renault 5, an emotional contribution from the electric pioneer finally arrives. The compact electric car is currently undergoing prototype production, serving as a blueprint for the series. To ensure everything goes smoothly with the revival of the icon, VM took a behind-the-scenes look and gathered some first impressions of the vehicle.

Renault still doesn't want to fully let the cat out of the bag. Yet the R5 truly looks impressive, as our first impression showed. And it could revitalize the brand electrically. | Photo: Renault
Renault still doesn't want to fully let the cat out of the bag. Yet the R5 truly looks impressive, as our first impression showed. And it could revitalize the brand electrically. | Photo: Renault
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Johannes Reichel

As if a gigantic space cruiser had landed – this is how the Technocentre of Renault, inaugurated a quarter of a century ago, lies in the landscape. It bears witness to the once slightly faded glory of the “Grand Auto Nation”. But not only does the entire development of the diamond brand take place here, but there is also a dedicated prototype manufacturing – ensuring that nothing goes wrong in series production and the quality is right from the start, something that has not always been the case with the brand. However, the next assignment for the prototype engineers is particularly sensitive: With the electric Renault 5, an icon of the brand is to be resurrected – and this should revive the demand for the diamond electrics, despite all pioneering deeds, and, last but not least, infuse emotions that the rather sober e-mobiles from Paris – Megane, Kangoo, Zoe currently lack. The latter will be formally replaced by the Renault 5, which will take a completely different, more retro-cultivated path that has already revived Fiat and helped Mini to a new bloom.

The first one is always the worst specimen

Since October 2021, the 500 employees have been working in the miniature factory on prototype manufacturing, which amounts to a total of 60 vehicles. None of these are alike, after all, they represent the steady progress of the micro-series. “The first is the worst,” the head of the so-called EuroGPEC jokes. His job: To set up a scaled-down but faithful replica of the future production in Douai and to pre-exercise and fine-tune the processes in coordination with the plant and with already original tools that will later be transferred. The purpose of the exercise: As a "bridge" between design and series production, the processes should be honed in prototype production. Gap dimensions are measured to tenths of millimeters, body panels and supplier parts are validated. The prototype builders also subject the software, connections, and electronics to thorough testing, with short paths to development in the Technocentre.

The mules then ride ahead

And the first workhorses in this are the aptly named "Mules," pre-prototypes. This includes, for example, a curious specimen that wore the dress of the current Clio for camouflage but underneath had the new CMF-B-EV corporate platform. In this disguise, the pioneer mule underwent extensive testing in Lapland. The workhorses are followed by the "Vehicle-Check-Prototypes," which already correspond to the series design and roll out with the usual camouflage and are currently being produced.

From Body Shell to Marriage: Everything a Factory Needs

This already looks quite good during our tour: Clearly, it's scaled down, but the welding robots, the sheet metal parts, the sleds for pre-assembling the battery, the "marriage" with the body shell, all this is similar to what you'd see at a much larger scale in the major assemblies of the automotive industry. Big difference: Here there is no rhythm, only thoroughness. If something gets stuck, operations pause and checks are carried out until everything fits. The fine measurement of the overall vehicle takes about eight hours. Up to five vehicles could be produced here daily, but there's no need for that many Renault 5 units. Even the prototypes already look quite decent, design and finish are on point, so much so that a person in charge says a layperson wouldn't notice major differences to the series vehicle.

Many Corporate Components Aim to Lower Costs

Speaking of which: The 70 percent share of already tested corporate components in the Renault 5, starting with the related CMF-B combustion engine platform, through electric specifics like the NMC battery (reduced to 4 instead of 12 modules), 100-kW synchronous motor (without rare earths), software from the Megane E-Tech, contributes to shortening the development time. And ultimately to a 30 percent cheaper components mix compared to the still relatively solitary Zoe. Customers are expected to benefit from a more attractive price of the new electric vehicle from France, which is not supposed to start much above 25,000 euros.

At first real encounter, it impresses with a clean look featuring smooth flanks and already small gaps, crisp proportions with compact dimensions, with space for four passengers along with a decent trunk and a deep underfloor storage compartment. However, the front door handles are no longer recessed as in the concept, the rear ones are hidden in the window triangle for aesthetics, as is now common. Additionally, a "floating" roof, a stylish roof spoiler, and the unmistakable "triangle" at the rear and always at least 18-inch wheels with a wide track. No doubt: The R5 could be the ultimate image booster for the struggling diamond brand, provided the efficiency and range (400 kilometers) and agility (multi-link rear axle) live up to the promises. It almost pains the sustainability soul to hear that the prototypes will be scrapped afterward, though recycled as thoroughly as possible. The tailgate, made from high-strength steel like the whole vehicle, swings up and reveals a square practical opening, so that even smaller transport tasks with the French EV shouldn't be an obstacle, even if a frunk under the square hood is missing from the conventional front-engine front-wheel-drive concept.

Charging Port: Here and There - and Now on the Driver's Side

On the impractical side, the E-R5 shows itself when it comes to the charging port: Why it now has to be on the driver's side at the fender position, following the diamond emblem (Zoe, Kangoo) and the passenger side (Megane E-Tech), the engineers couldn't really convincingly explain. This way, the port is either “at risk of being hit” or you have to drive in the “wrong direction” to the charger. However, the officials did not want to reveal how fast the R5 charges. But it should be 100 kW in DC and a good 22 kW in AC, as expected. The R5s are so ready for departure at the end of the small production line that you'd want to drive off immediately. That will take - with all the process acceleration - until next year. Renault’s “fast” is in this case not fast enough, especially when you look at the Chinese competition. But: A lot of fine-tuning still needs to be done “out of Paris”.

That it already fits in this early stage is of course ensured by thorough virtual pre-development, which has halved the development cycle compared to earlier times. Design, chassis, crash concepts, all that the engineers can prepare so well on the computer that the Renault 5 has moved from a blank sheet of paper to the prototype stage in a relatively short time. As one engineer explains, for many things they only need to get confirmation. But with all the virtual possibilities, in the end it is about whether the technical concept also works in a physical model, as the responsible engineer explains. This, he is confident, will not be replaceable in the future. After all, mobility with the (electric) automobile still takes place in the real world - and not in the virtual world.

Translated automatically from German.
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