Renault continues to draw from the shelf of its great successes, then dust off the icons. After the R5, here is the R4, which everyone continues to call 4L. In fact, with its 8 million copies sold in 100 countries, its versions for the city and for the countryside, the 4L remains one of Renault’s biggest bestsellers. It has even equipped the PTT, France Télécom, EDF and even the gendarmerie.
Two years ago at the Paris Motor Show, the Renault 4ever Trophy concept car announced this future electric 4L. This time, it is indeed the production version, which will reach Renault dealerships in 2025.
Be careful, lovers of its lines are warned, the new electric 4L no longer resembles the historic model. “Renault 4 is back, but without being nostalgic,” the brand immediately warns. The grille, for example, receives an illuminated outline and logo, while at the rear, the lights, still in three parts, have been given a new lease of life, with a distinctive LED signature.
4.14 m long, the 4L is located between a Clio (9 cm smaller) and a Captur (9 cm larger). Gilles Vidal, Renault design director, also promises “numerous sophisticated and tech details which make it a contemporary city car combining refinement and audacity. »
Seven shades available
The Renault 4 thus benefits from all Google connected services thanks to the OpenR Link multimedia system, but also from the Reno avatar, a new everyday companion. The scientific director of Renault, Luc Julia, star engineer of Silicon Valley, pope of artificial intelligence and co-creator of Siri, Apple’s voice control tool, developed this little diamond-shaped man which will help you optimize the driving of the car.
In terms of color, the newcomer will be available in seven shades. Finally, like its ancestor, the 4L 2024 will offer a canvas sunroof, now electric. For a wink, the tip of the steering wheel gear lever looks like a tube of lipstick.
Will the 4L overshadow its big sister, the new electric R5, presented at the start of the year, standard of the new French automobile industry? If success is achieved, yes, “but Renault will then be able to congratulate itself on having a rich man’s problem,” laughs a group executive.
A Made in France model
Larger and SUV-oriented, the 4L does not fit into the same category as the R5 E-Tech, but the two vehicles should compete nonetheless. “There is so much waiting, the risk is also to disappoint,” worried, for his part, an engineer, a few days before the curtain goes up.
Renault Group has chosen to produce its 4L in France. The car will be assembled at the Maubeuge factory (North), its engine manufactured in Cléon (Seine-Maritime), and its battery produced from March 2025 in Douai (North). 75% of suppliers are located within a 300 km radius.
The 4L also uses 26.4% of materials from the circular economy, including metal, glass and 41 kilos of recycled polymers reused under the doors, in the carpets of the cabin and trunk. Making something new out of something old… that’s a bit of a summary of his comeback in the end. The R5, the 4L, then next year, the Twingo, the neo-retro wave is hitting the Renault range.
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