The Renault 4 E-Tech Electric will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show on 14 October. However, the manufacturer has now revealed the first details of the exterior and surprised us with the length of the vehicle: at 4.14 metres, the electric R4 is 22 cm longer than its sister model, the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric. The special visual features include the illuminated grille and a fabric roof, which almost turns the electric R4 into a convertible.
The Renault 4 from 1961 was Renault's first family car with a front engine. As with an electric car, the floor of the passenger compartment was flat - because the car had no transmission tunnel. The R4 was considered spacious and suitable for everyday use, as a car for the city as well as for the countryside, for work as well as for holidays. And it was successful: over 8 million units were produced and sold in more than 100 countries.
The Renault 4 E-Tech Electric is intended to be just as versatile as the original. Like the electric R5, it is based on the AmpR-Small platform and has a purely battery-electric drive, which is likely to be similar to that of the R5. The new R4 will be built in Maubeuge (France); it will arrive at dealerships in 2025.
Renault 4 E-Tech Electric: The illuminated radiator grille (teaser image)
The black radiator grille at the front is framed by a thin line of light, which also surrounds the round LED headlights. An illuminated Renault brand logo is emblazoned in the centre for the first time. The concept car of the electric R5 also featured the illuminated rhombus at the front, but this was omitted from the production version.
Similar to the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric, which features the number 5 at the rear, the Renault 4 also features the number 4 on the tailgate.
Renault 4 E-Tech Electric: The "4" at the rear (teaser image)
As on the original R4, the rear lights are arranged vertically and in three parts - even if they now work with modern LED technology and appear more delicate than 60 years ago. A glossy black frame gives the rear lights a sophisticated look. Like the Renault 5, the R4 also has a rear windscreen wiper and a roof spoiler. However, the rear slopes much more vertically and the loading sill is apparently just as low as on the original.
Like the classic model, the electric R4 also has trapezoidal side windows above the rear wheels, which extend the windows in the rear doors to the rear. This should be good for all-round visibility.
The side panels of the Renault 4 E-Tech Electric are reminiscent of the plastic panelling of the later 4L generations. They feature three parallel lines that accentuate the side view. They remind us vaguely of the side bumpers on Citroën models.
The wings appear to have glossy black protective mouldings; the sill is also clad in black. Another black element with a small French flag connects the wing frames with the sides of the windscreen. What we can't quite interpret is the metal part in body colour above this flag:
In the pictures, the roof has a black contrasting colour, as is also available for the electric R5. The roof spoiler on the new R4 is clearly reminiscent of the historic model. The chrome bumpers and rubber bumpers from the 1960s are of course a thing of the past, but the front and rear bumpers are striking and clearly protrude. There are apparently vertical elements as an equivalent to the rubber bumpers.
Like some classic R4 versions, the electric version is also available with an optional fabric roll-up roof. It should be possible to open it wide, but the horizontal roof line should ensure that you don't sit as far out in the open as in the Fiat 500 Cabrio, for example.
The ordering process is similar to that of the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric: for €150, you can purchase an "R4 R-Pass", which allows you to get your electric R4 particularly quickly. The car can then be ordered from Renault dealers 15 days before delivery. The pass will be available from 1 October today at www.renault.de/r4, but the website is not yet online.
More about the Renault 4 E-Tech Electric:
The bottom line
The Renault E-Tech Electric will be unveiled in a fortnight. As anticipation is known to be the greatest joy, Renault is now showing parts of the exterior. There are numerous nice details, including an illuminated logo on the grille, stylish rear lights and, most notably, a retractable roof. The design experts have obviously put just as much effort into the angular R4 as they did with the R5. It will be interesting to see.
Source: Renault