Renault Sees Retro Inspiration As “Irresistible” For New EVs

French automobile model Renault desires to take full benefit of its previous in designing the electrical autos of the long run, as revealed by the corporate’s chief designer, Laurens van den Acker, in an interview with the British publication Autocar.

With new EVs just like the Renault 4 and Renault 5 on the horizon, CEO Luca de Meo considers reinventing basic designs “irresistible,” the designer mentioned, including that the model’s present head honcho was answerable for reviving the trendy Fiat 500 whereas he was the boss of the Italian automaker within the 2000s.

 “I believe there’s this unsaid expectation that EVs ought to look slightly bit nameless, very fluid, very chilly,” Van den Acker mentioned, hinting at fashions from rival automakers. “I hope there’s extra richness sooner or later for EVs, and we’re making an attempt to do our greatest. The Renault 5 and Renault 4 will probably be full EVs, however they are going to be legendary icons. On the identical time, the Mégane and the long run Scenic are simply very trendy automobiles.”

The designer, who labored with Ford and Mazda previously, and was named Renault’s head of design in 2009, was requested when he would design a brand new Alpine or a Renault 4.

“Once I got here to Renault in 2009, they requested me: ‘When are you going to do an Alpine or a Renault 4?’ I mentioned: ‘Look, I’m employed to design the long run, to not design the previous.’

However satirically, I believe right now when there’s a lot insecurity on this planet, the place there are various darkish clouds hanging left, proper, and heart, to make a number of automobiles that actually talked concerning the good occasions – and the occasions when the model was alive – and stir all these optimistic feelings that folks have [is a good thing].”

To place issues into perspective, the French model’s technique couldn’t be extra totally different than Volkswagen’s. Again in June, Thomas Schafer, the CEO of the German model, mentioned that counting on nostalgia to revive sure fashions from the corporate’s previous could be a mistake, including that it “could be a useless finish,” referring to the doable resurrection of the Beetle as an all-electric mannequin.

Volkswagen selected to go on a special route with the ID.2all idea, which can develop into a series-production EV someday in 2026, priced from about $27,000 (€25,000) in Europe, whereas Renault seems to be going with a two-pronged method.

On the one hand, it’s getting ready retro fashions just like the Renault 4 and Renault 5, however alternatively, names just like the Megane and the Scenic are admittedly modern-looking autos.

Within the Autocar piece, Laurens van den Acker additionally says one thing fairly fascinating, which is that Renault couldn’t have revived the 4 or 5 with a combustion engine due to packaging restraints.

“If the Renault 5 had used an inner combustion engine, it might have had a nostril like this,” he mentioned, mimicking a Pinocchio-like nostril. “So in that sense, [the transition to EVs is] very thrilling.”

Primarily based on the corporate’s CMF-B EV platform, the brand new Renault 4 is ready to go on sale in Europe in 2025, whereas the all-electric Renault 5 is scheduled for a reveal in 2024.


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