At the Paris auto show this week, Renault unveiled its latest all-electric offering, the Renault 4 E-Tech, a nod to the brand’s 1960’s Renault 4L hatchback – one of its greatest bestsellers.
The new compact SUV, which should reach dealerships next year, shares more than two-thirds of its parts with the low-slung R5, including the AmpR small platform to cut costs.
Prices are expected to be under €30,000, compared to the Renault 5, which starts from around €25,000. The entry-level Renault 4 E-Tech is powered by a 90kW/225Nm electric motor and 40kWh battery for a 300km range. Top-of-the-line versions upgrade to a 110kW/245Nm front electric motor and 52kWh battery for 400km of WLTP range, 150km/h top speed, and zero to 100km/h acceleration in 8.5 seconds.
A slew of affordably priced BEVs are in the spotlight at the Paris auto show this week, with automakers pointing to low prices as the key to EV demand “recovery.”
“We may be getting close to a tipping point” for EV demand, Thierry Koskas, Stellantis’s Citroen brand exec, told reporters this week, according to Automotive News Europe. Meanwhile, European automakers are facing stiff competition from Chinese automakers rapidly expanding their reach amid tough subsidy cuts.
Other models on display at the show include Citreon’s delayed e-C3, priced at €23,300 ($25,472) – a huge success in Europe and a car accounts for nearly 30% of the company’s European sales. A €19,999 version will be launched in the first half of next year, Koskas said.
Renault CEO Luca de Meo told reporters that at an “open door” event in France this weekend, the company’s EV sales were at 35 percent to 40 percent of the total product mix, without offering up more details.
Top comment by Juan Diego CelemÃn Mojica
The R4 was a hit in developing markets. It was capable, reliable, and quite able to survive in the old roads full of potholes... or outright lacking pavement.
And it was affordable.
30K EUR is not affordable, by any metric. 20K could've done the trick, but this is 50% more. Renault is banking on nostalgia, but with the Chinese, Korean and more recently even American competition, this is bound to be a failure.
Even in Europe, the R4 is arriving one or two years late than the Skoda Elroq, offering less car for more price. Not unlike what Fiat did with the 500e, and we all know how badly that went.
There was a time, when the Zoe was undergoing full mass production, and Ghosn was at the helm, that I saw Renault growing from a relatively small automaker to one of Europe's rising global stars. But Ghons was ousted and Luca de Meo seemed to lost the way. The arrival of the e-Mégane was botched, the lessons from the Zoe seem to have been all but forgotten, and the R5 and R4 are arriving too late, with too little value even for the relatively uncompetitive European EV Market.
Photos: Renault
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments