Reborn, Electric, and Cheeky: Renault 5 EV Turns a New Leaf with a Dash of Nostalgia
Listen, I've got some news, some electric, snazzy, and fresh off the presses. The Renault 5 is back. But, this ain't your daddy's Renault 5, it's all-electric. This French toast of an automobile is set to take us on a nostalgic ride while our inner environmentalist does a gleeful little jig.
The Renault 5 EV (Electric Vehicle) is no figment of some sketch artist's imagination. It's as real as your bewildered expression right now. This isn't just a promise in a glossy brochure. Our peepers caught a sneak-peak of this beauty, swaddled in an alluring black wrap. The yellow and red accents make a cheeky appearance here and there, making sure the character lines of the bodywork are not missed.
What does this electric marvel hold for us, you ask? Oh, nothing much, just a nod to its old Renault 5 relatives that graced our roads in 1972 and 1984. Don't get fooled, this ain't an oldie with a new coat of paint. It comes with redesigned bumpers, larger mirrors, and subtly altered LED lighting units which seem to have skipped the full-width treatment. It's sporty, compact, modern, and basically a rolling tribute to its predecessors.
And, despite its tininess - it's only about 154.3 inches long, shorter than a Clio, by the way - the new Renault 5 EV isn't lacking in interior spaciousness. In fact, it promises to be roomy enough to conduct a small town meeting. What's inside this funky little electric hatch? Renault's playing coy about the details, but word on the street is it's all sustainable materials and clever infotainment systems.
The R5's birthplace, the Technocentre facility near Paris, adds a cherry on the top, really. They're about to churn out more than 60 units of the R5 for testing and all that jazz. Once that's done, this puppy is off to northern France to be mass-produced.
Powering this bundle of joy is a front-mounted electric motor, offering a very respectable 134 horsepower. It can run on a base 40 kWh battery or a bigger 52 kWh one for the high rollers among us, providing a range of up to 249 miles. Alpine, the sporty cousin, has also hinted at a hot hatch version of the R5, which is sure to get the adrenaline junkies excited.
And, the price? Hold on to your hats, folks. Renault has set its sights on an entry price of less than $27k for the R5. Yes, that's right. A nostalgic, all-electric ride for less than the cost of a decent used car.
So, hold on tight folks. Come 2024, the R5 EV is set to show us just how stylish, affordable, and downright cool electric driving can be.
Yours truly,
Captain Electro
