Renault R5: the new 100% electric city car is a real eye-catcher, a winning return ?

A hit of the 80s, the Renault 5 takes a leap into the future with a modernized model. and 100% electric. strong power of seduction. The city car, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, hopes to make a resounding return to a popular market. hyper competitive.

[Mis à effective February 26, 2024 11:10]It was in Switzerland, as part of the Geneva Motor Show, that Renault raised its price. the definitive veil on its new R5, returning in 2024 forty years after it left the manufacturing plants having left its mark minds of millions of motorists. Definitive because the French manufacturer has multiplied its performance. teasers, particularly since December, to give a taste of its future city car and fuel impatience among its customers. He even unveiled, in May 2023, a special Roland-Garros edition during the French Open Tennis which was to be & agrave; 95% true to production model. 

Assembled in its factory in Douai, in Hauts-de-France, this 21st century R5 will be 100% electric, fitting in the diamond brand's project to release six "green" by 2030 with its new entity Ampere. On a market increasingly competitive, the R5 E-Tech, which will replace the Zoé in the Renault catalog, will try to carve out a place for itself, alongside the notably the new Peugeot e-208 (more expensive) and Citroën ë-C3 (cheaper) while trying to counter competition from Asia and mainly from China. Called é becoming the new queen of electric city cars at Renault, the R5 E-Tech was undoubtedly the most anticipated release of the year. Let's go à the discovery of this model revisited.

What is the  information &agrave? know about the new electric R5 ?

• Launched in 1972, the R5 remains recognizable almost 50 years later by its characteristic features. We find there the DNA of his elder sister, star of the 80s, & start with its very compact size – it measures only 3m92 in length. To perfectly stick &agrav; its neo-retro style, the city car, which clearly stands out from the brand's other models, will be available in five colors (pop yellow, pop green, night blue, pearl white and star black) while special series will be offered. later.

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• The front of the vehicle transports us to a futuristic era with a light signature which gives a quite original 3D effect. The hood vent of the R5 of yesteryear has been redesigned. replaced by a large recharge indicator which fits perfectly with the new identity of the device. electric of the city car. The emblematic number 5 lights up when the driver approaches the vehicle and it fully appears when the vehicle is charging. battery is complete. 

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• The shape of the optics on the front of the future R5 has changed somewhat. Less rectangular than on its predecessor from the 80s, they take the shape of an eyebrow but don't fool anyone: a wink to the headlights of the first version is quite obvious. 

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• Reminders à the original R5 can be found absolutely everywhere. From the side grille to the wheels and the rear trunk, fans of the cult city car will be delighted by admiring the flat bonnet like the car. nbsp;roof line and the straight, inclined tailgate. Note also the colored roof rush. in black and a lé red which begins at the front pillar of the car and surrounds the roof (it is presented in gray on the night blue model).

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• The wide wheel arches, symbols of the Renault 5 of yesteryear, will always be a marker of the brand's famous model to the diamond. For the French manufacturerçthey"they widen the silhouette of R5" and "reinforce its unique and immediately recognizable character, " the image of the R5 Turbo."

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• The rear lights of the new R5, very thin, are placed at the rear. the horizontal in the extension of the sides of the bodywork. "This éelement participates in " the aerodynamic performance of R5, by avoiding punishing air swirls, indicates the brand. grent also offers aerodynamic deflectors, enough to give a real cure for modernity. à this Renault R5 from the 21st century !

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• As with the exterior, the interior of the new R5 stands out from the latest releases from the diamond brand ( Sénic, Rafale, Clio). The furniture had never been used before. seen and Renault chose to install the central screen in the extension of the meter. Slightly inclined towards the driver, this 10.1-inch panel is positioned at right angles to the driver. horizontal (quite rare among the manufacturer). As is now fashionable in the automobile, the interface integrates a new voice assistant which welcomes ChatGPT to be able to respond to possible questions from passengers during journeys.

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• Renault plays the originality card &agrav; background with upholstery that contrasts with the usual cold colors of our vehicles. The R5 E-Tech offers two colors for its seats, either in blue "jean" or in yellow. The manufacturer is also pleased to use fabrics made from 100% recycled material on the Techno and Iconic Cinq finishes.

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The engines on the Renault R5 éelectric 

Renault had already communicated on the city car's engines even before its appearance on its stand à Geneva. The manufacturer will offer two NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) batteries. At its launch, the R5 E-Tech will be equipped with a 52 kWh battery, which will offer it a range of up to ; 400 km in WLTP cycle.  It will then be available with a smaller battery, of 40 kWh, which should allow it to travel 300 kilometers on a single charge. ;electric, made é &agrav; Cléon in Normandy, will be proposed with three power levels: 150, 120 and 95 horsepower. The maximum speed is electronically limited so as not to exceed 150 kilometers/hour.

When will the new Renault R5 be released?

The little electrified city car, presented at at the end of February as part of the Geneva Motor Show, will be marketed at from September. The version with the 52 kWh battery will be the first to be available. To be delivered, followed by the version with the smaller 40 kWh battery. For its most impatient customers, Renault had opened its pre-orders even before its official presentation with the possibility of placing a purchase order. buy a “R5 R Pass" for 150 euros.

What will be the price of the electric Renault R5 ?

If the prices have not yet been made official, at the end of November, Renault had announced that the Renault R5 E-Tech would cost "around 25 000 euros" at entry level, & namely without additional option and with the smallest 40 kWh battery. With the 2024 ecological bonus set &agrav; 4,000 euros, the price of the city car will therefore exceed barely 20,000 euros. For the most modest households, eligible for a discount of 7,000 euros, you will have to pay around 18,000 euros to find yourself behind the wheel of the new R5.

At the start, Luca Di Meo, boss of Renault, wanted to display a base price lower than the original price. 20,000 euros, excluding bonus. This is what M's success was. make Citroën which will offer, only in 2025, another version of its ë-C3 à from 19,900 euros before deduction of the ecological bonus. The R5 E-Tech will, however, evolve a notch above in terms of its equipment but will still compete against it. competition from the little Citroën, just like à that of the Fiat 500e and the future Dacia Spring as well as'à the very successful Peugeot e-208 at a much higher price (34,000 euros).