Renault to look to its past for its future cars

The Renault 5 was introduced in the 1970s and ran until the 1990s. Photos: Renault

Ooh, la la, we’re liking the thinking of new Renault CEO Luca de Meo with his plans to revive some best-selling models from the brand’s past.

As the brand starts to focus on electric cars under a turnaround plan aimed at improving sales and repositioning the struggling automaker, two sources familiar with the matter to Europe Automotive News that included in the plan were nods to the French car company’s past.

De Meo will unveil the brand’s strategy on January 14, which is expected to focus on the product ranges the company will bet on, especially as it has already announced €2 billion (NZ$3.37b) in cost savings and job cuts.

The group's performance in the auto market was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and under pressure to produce cleaner vehicles.

De Meo, who has said he wanted to lean on the brand's French roots, will unveil an electric version of the now-phased-out Renault 4 small cars introduced in the early 1960s, the two sources told Europe Automotive News.

he Renault e-Plein Air EV concept, based on the Renault 4.

There will also be a revived, electric version of another popular 1970s and 1980s model, based on the R5 or its successor the "Super Cinq,” the sources added.

Renault declined to comment to Europe Automotive News.

Renault already has some history (pun intended) on focussing design on popular older models. The Renault e-Plein Air EV concept, based on the Renault 4, was created in 2019 for a classic car exhibition. It was a collaboration between Renault Design and a spare parts company.

This strategy of a focus on the memorable models of the past is a smart move by Renault as the EV market ramps on and customers will be looking for quirky electric cars.