On February 26th, during the opening of the 2024 Geneva International Motor Show, Renault unveiled Renault 5 E-Tech electric born from the Renaulution, in a world premiere. Among the speakers at this press conference, Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of the Renault brand and Gilles Vidal, Director of Design for the Renault brand, emphasized how the Renault 5 of the 21st century would become a true game changer for Renault and the electric market in Europe.
Reinterpreting the pop icon that was the original Renault 5 in its time, Renault 5 E-Tech electric has all the advantages to, like its predecessor, leave its mark on its era and meet societal and environmental challenges of the moment. Its emotional design is the result of a “retrofuturistic” approach which consists of reinterpreting strong markers of Renault 5 by giving them a new, both modern and useful function. Just like the technology, symbolized by the Reno avatar: simple and intuitive, it improves the onboard experience to facilitate the transition of customers to electric cars. This transition is also facilitated by the ingenuity of this city car, designed on the new Ampere platform dedicated to electric vehicles in the B segment, AmpR Small. It excels in the city but is versatile with its 400 km WLTP autonomy and benefits from easier and more intelligent recharging by inaugurating the new AC bidirectional charger compatible with V2L (vehicle-to-load) and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) technologies to save money on electricity bills.
The Renault 5 E-Tech electric will be produced in France, within the Ampere ElectriCity Pole, with a compact ecosystem of suppliers located within a radius of 300 km.
“Renault 5 E-Tech electric is a car unlike any other. Its release coincides with a major shift by millions of Europeans towards a new mobility which is electric, connected, and sustainable. It also triggered the transformation of Renault Group into a next-generation automotive company. To develop this car in just three years in France, to the highest technological standard, all our decisions had to be disruptive. In the face of significant change in our industry, this car paves a new way for Renault. It’s at the heart of the battle to reinvent European industry against competition coming from the east and the west. With this vehicle we’re proving that production in Europe, in France really is possible!”
“The R5’s DNA is unique. It’s a joyful vehicle that attracts sympathy. It’s a vehicle that is both popular and avant-garde, providing new solutions for the times it’s living in. That was the case in 1972. It will still be the case in 2024. The Renault 5 E-Tech electric is a design masterstroke, a new brain with cutting-edge technologies and electric legs based on a new-generation platform that is unique in Europe: AmpR Small.
The R5 has a single target: the hearts of our customers. It will leave its mark on the history of the brand.”
“We used pieces of collective memory that we translated in a very contemporary way to create the R5 of tomorrow. We didn’t want the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric to feel nostalgic or vintage. We wanted to triggering emotion and created a vibrant, energetic, and POP car. Pop in both ways: as popular as its ancestor, and pop through its vibes and colors. We used ingredients from our historical icons, but beyond that, we took on the challenge of creating a design that would also project into the future and that would naturally resonate with younger generations.”
What better than a pop icon to take electric cars into the European mainstream?
Renault 5 was a unique car renowned for its avant-garde design, versatility and fuel frugality. It addressed the challenges of its times for millions of families, responding to the oil shock, changing lifestyles, and the need for a second car.
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The story begins on Thursday, July 2nd, 2020, when Luca de Meo, the brand new CEO of Renault Group, arrives at the Technocentre in Guyancourt to discover future models under development. Among the vehicles, there was a strange model in a remote corner. A reinterpreted Renault 5. Luca fell in love with this little fluorescent orange car and launched the project to revive this icon.
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Luca de Meo first started out his career at Renault and is now CEO. During his many years experience working for major European companies, he acquired much sought-after experience in the automotive industry and in management. He took over the helm of Renault Group and Renault in July 2020. From 2023, November 1st he becomes CEO Ampere.
Paula Fabregat-Andreu, Design Project Director at Ampere, holds a Master’s degree in Automotive Design from the CEU San Pablo University in Spain. She began her career in 2000 as an Interior Designer at Renault in France. After gaining experience in the Group’s network of international design centres in Barcelona and Bucharest, she moved on to become a project manager at the Technocentre, first at Dacia and then at Renault. Passionate about the many facets of design in general, Paula has a keen interest in new trends and human interaction, a crucial asset in the field of automotive design.
Marianne Bataillon is Director of electric vehicle engine and battery projects at Ampere. A pioneer in the field of electric powertrains, she led the design of the ZOE engine and was voted Woman of the Year by L’Usine Nouvelle magazine for the ZOE 400 km battery project. A battery expert with a passion for cars and new technologies, she works with her teams and partners to develop innovative, high-performance solutions to meet today’s environmental and social challenges.