Here (finally) is the new R5. This Monday, February 26, at the Geneva Motor Show (Switzerland), Renault presented the production version of the R5. Now 100% electric, this modern reinterpretation of the legendary model from the 70s and 80s embodies Luca De Meo’s entire strategy, the “Renaulution”, his recovery and change program launched in January 2021.
A design faithful to the first R5
At first glance, the production R5 is reminiscent of the concept, with this design and naming strategy centered around nostalgia for the first R5.
“It is a challenge to rediscover the spirit of the original car and at the same time not make it vintage and project it into the future,” says Gilles Vidal, Renault design director.
The latter used “the most characteristic ingredients of the first Renault 5, the Super 5 but also the Turbo”, mixing them with wheels at the four corners of the vehicle and very short overhangs, characteristic of the electric Renaults of the moment.
Renault 5 on the rear belt line, 5 logo on the front hood, just a Renault logo on the front, the R5 version 2024 seems to create its own category in the Renault range, moving away from the design codes of the Austral. , Rafale or Mégane. As if to mark its special role in the brand’s transformation strategy.
300 kilometers of minimum autonomy
This transformation involves the arrival of new technologies to the R5.
“We wanted to make it a vehicle with a totally different brain, that would connect ecosystems,” explains Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of the Renault brand.
The new R5 is now available in a 100% electric version and inaugurates the small AmpR Small platform, in particular with new lighter battery modules, says Renault.
“The R5 will have two levels of batteries, a 40 kWh version and a 52 kWh version, which will take us to a range of 300 kilometers for the lowest and 400 for the highest,” Frédéric Morel, engineer, explains to BFM Business. R5 boss. Enough to satisfy purely urban commuters but also those who sometimes need to make a slightly longer trip.
“The battery is new, the braking system is new, the engine is new, the challenge was to coordinate everything to fit all this in a vehicle of less than 3.80 meters, which is already a great challenge,” continues the engineer. boss.
The new R5 also introduces two-way charging (the car can then serve as a home battery) and a new on-board personal assistant (full details in our article here).
A model to “popularize electrification”
“A popular, affordable and beautiful car,” is how Gilles Vidal sums up the R5. This affordable aspect is the objective of this model that should “popularize electrification,” explains Paula Fabregat, design director of Renault’s A and B segments.
The brand has opted for less diversity and a narrower range to limit costs. “We only have 5 colors at launch, but these 5 colors are very specific to maintain the hyper pop side like this yellow color or more chic like the pearly white,” Paula Fabregat explains to us. Special series will then be added to the range.
The group returns here to its first approach to the electric car, the Zoé: the R5 is a small car (3.57 meters). But the brand aims for much more accessible prices: less than 25,000 euros without bonuses, far from the 34,000 euros of a Mégane or the starting price of 40,000 euros of a Scénic, two certainly much larger models.
The official price has not yet been revealed but the new R5 will be marketed in September 2024. The Inovev firm anticipates around 65,000 R5s sold this year. The car could exceed 100,000 annual sales starting in 2027 according to the firm.
Source: BFM TV
