A few years ago, Renault introduced a modern electric take on the Renault 5 hatchback. The 5 EV concept leans heavily toward the crisp, boxy lines of the original hatchback (sold as Le Car in the US), and it has attracted many, including us. Now we’re finally seeing a production prototype on the road, and we’re pleased to see that it appears to be retro-bit specific as well.
The prototype looks pretty much the same as the concept, although it’s camouflaged pretty heavily. The position of the door handles is also consistent, especially the rear handles hidden in the window area. The front handle has been switched to a traditional grab handle rather than a flush fit handle, presumably for cost reasons, but I don’t know anyone who really holds a grudge against functional handles. It also retains the snubbed nose, forward-sloping rear pillars and taillights along the lines of the rear hatch.
The wheels are extruded to the edge, just like the concept and original Renault 5. The wheel design even matches his six-spoke pattern on the concept.
You can find some differences. The front bumper features a traditional grille that opens low for cooling, but the concept blocked off most of the front. At the rear, no trace of the full-width light bar with integrated Renault badge can be seen. And the boxflare fenders look a little toned down here.
Sadly, we don’t expect the Renault 5 EV to make an appearance in America. Mainly because the brand has no presence in the US at all. However, Renault is part of that consortium and will likely share the so-called CMF-B EV platform, so there is some chance that its underpinnings will be found under a future Nissan or Mitsubishi. So perhaps a future Mirage EV could use it. Alpine, Renault’s premium performance brand, plans to enter the US market with the unveiling of its own version of the 5-inch EV, the A290_β. Therefore, very It is conceivable that they may come here via that route, but we cannot expect it. In any case, the production Renault 5 EV should be unveiled sometime next year.
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