Renault launches its electric R5, emblem of the manufacturer’s “relaunch”

The new R5 “allows Renault to project itself into the future,” said Renault general manager Luca de Meo. The brand promises a base price around 25,000 euros, excluding bonuses.

Renault wishes to confirm its renewed energy. On Monday February 26, the manufacturer presented its new battery-powered R5 in Geneva, an iconic model intended to make an impact with its design while democratizing electric cars made in France. The new R5 “allows Renault to project itself into the future and take millions of Europeans with us on the path to energy transition”launched Renault general manager Luca de Meo, before two flashy yellow cars appeared on the stage of the Geneva International Auto Show.

Vertical taillights, flashy colors, sculpted seats, rear spoiler: the small car multiplies the nods to its ancestor launched in 1972, but also to the very aggressive R5 turbo, French rally champion. Symbol of the electric shift, the ventilation grille on the hood is replaced by a charging indicator. Assembled in Douai (North), the R5 replaces the Zoé as the brand’s entry-level electric model. Better, she is “The emblem” of the relaunch of the group, which recorded excellent results in 2023 thanks to more high-end vehicles after difficult years. The brand promises a base price for this R5 of around 25,000 euros, excluding bonuses.

Being “affordable and cool”

“The story repeats itself” : as “50 years ago”Renault finds itself at the end of a “difficult period for the company”the French live “a general crisis and uncontrolled inflation” and the automobile market faces “totally new expectations from society”underlined M Luca de Meo on Monday. “At the time, we worked and finally sold nine million” of R5, this car “frugal, intelligent, innovative, eccentric and cheerful”he underlined, hoping to repeat this commercial success with the new R5, which, like its predecessor, must be “affordable and cool”.

Within the Renault group, the Dacia Spring was already the cheapest electric car on the market, but manufactured in China. Above, the electric Renault Mégane did not sell as much as hoped, with its high-end positioning and prices. The R5 will have to position itself between the two, in the economical and all-purpose compact sector, particularly against the future electric Citroën C3.