What's all this about?

In essence, it’s a modernised Renault 4 with giant balloon tyres. In more technical terms, however, it’s the Renault 4Ever Trophy concept car, and it was one of the stars of Renault’s stand at the Paris Motor Show this month.

Are they actually going to sell one like this?

Not quite. Renault’s director of advanced design, Sandeep Bhambra, told CarEnthusiast that “everything in the silver paint is pretty close to how the final production version will look. Everything lower down, in the black plastics, that’s a bit more concept-y.”

So Renault is raiding its back catalogue for new cars?

A bit, yes. Bhambra confirmed to us that while Renault will continue to design all-new vehicles, the huge success of the electric Renault 5 concept (which will go on sale in 2024) meant that a second retro-styled model was always going to be likely. Given the first Renault 4, built between 1961 and 1991, was a huge success and more than eight million examples were sold, it was almost guaranteed that this would be Renault’s other revived model.

It’s going to be electric, right?

Yes, fully electric. There won’t be a petrol or hybrid version. When it arrives in 2025, the new battery-powered Renault 4 will share its CMF-BEV platform with that new Renault 5 and will most likely come with a choice of 40kWh and 54kWh battery packs, giving it a likely range of up to 400km.

Judging from this concept, it’s going to be an SUV...

Maybe, but don’t be fooled by the massive wheels and tall ride-height of the 4Ever concept. That’s just for show, and the final EV R4 will be rather more in the tall hatchback mode without four-wheel drive. The 4Ever is meant to be both a big hint at how the final production version will look, as well as paying tribute to the 4L Trophy Humanitarian Rally.

What's that?

An annual event that has been running since 1997, the 4L Trophy Humanitarian Rally sees students set off across France in a fleet of original Renault 4s, loaded up with school supplies for underprivileged kids in Morocco. To deliver these supplies, the teams must negotiate the harsh conditions of North Africa and compete in regularity trials.

What else do we know about the new R4?

Well, we know that it brings much of the original 1961 model’s styling into the 21st century. The 4Ever concept gets an LED-laden interpretation of the original R4’s grille, as well as lozenge-shaped brake lights that mimic the three-part design of that 1961 car. There’s also the extra glass in the rear pillar, although that’s unlikely to open in the new one, and it won’t have the original’s sliding door glass either. The 4Ever concept gets some nice touches, such as a roof-mounted spare wheel, a folding shovel, and sand-pads for getting extra traction in the desert. The 19-inch wheels, shod with big Continental off-road tyres, also get their own built-in inflation and deflation system, for tackling really tricky terrain.

Will Renault use this in the next Humanitarian Rally?

Unlikely. Although the press release says that the 4Ever has a 100kW (136hp) electric motor and a 42kWh battery, in reality it’s a non-functional styling model. There isn’t even an interior, just some seats and a sheet of plastic to mimic an instrument panel. Which means we also don’t know if the 2025 Renault 4 will get some sort of recreation of the original’s push-pull ‘umbrella handle’ gear shift. We asked some of the design team about that, but they just smiled…

Neil Briscoe - 24 Oct 2022