Renault's affordable EVs coming to Australia

Renault's Chief Engineer has outlined the brand's plans for bringing its upcoming electric vehicles to Australia.

Strip away the outdoorsy add-ons of the 4Ever Trophy concept revealed at the recent Paris motor show and you're looking at a small SUV EV due in 2025. And the 5 Prototype shown last year at the IAA Munich mobility expo previews a 2024 small hatch EV.

"Styling is still the first reason to buy," Gilles Le Borgne told Wheels. "You know Renault brand is a pop brand, a popular brand, and we need to make mobility affordable. That's really our role."

But it's cost, not cuteness, that Le Borgne is tasked with delivering.

In Europe prices of the 4 and 5 will open in the €20,000 to €25,000 range, roughly equivalent to $30,000 to $40,000 in Australia. And Le Borgne cheerfully reveals how Renault aims to hit its price targets.

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Both small EVs will use the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance's CMF-B EV architecture. Unlike CMF-EV developed for larger Alliance EVs, like the Megane E-Tech and Nissan Ariya, CMF-B EV isn't a clean-sheet, no-compromise EV design.

It will share many components with internal-combustion engine (ICE)-powered models that use other versions of CMF-B. The platform's simple multi-link rear axle will come from the Dacia Duster, Le Borgne says. The HVAC system, seat frames, front axle, even the wiper system, will be borrowed from "the Clio, Captur, Sandero and so forth".

As well as the two Renault EVs, CMF-B EV will also serve as the basis for the next Nissan Micra. This means manufacturing economies of scale will also help contain costs.

"The third (cost reduction) lever is really that we have developed, with Nissan, a very affordable chemistry that we are now industrialising in our Douai plant, north of France," Le Borgne goes on. "So it's low-cost chemistry, almost no logistics costs, because it's close to the factory where we'll produce the cars.

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"Put it all together - family approach, carry-over components, plus affordable batteries - CMF-B EV I would say is the tool, or the weapon, to do affordable cars."

Renault's small EVs – the 4 will be a little over four metres long – will not lack driving range. Battery packs of 40kWh and 52kWh will give them up to more than 300 kilometres to over 400km of driving between recharges, Le Borgne promises. Another senior Renault exec also confirms they're both global models, meaning right-hand-drive production is guaranteed.

"We have our hand up for all new products from Renault made available in right-hand-drive," says Glen Sealey, Renault Australia's general manager with local distributor Ateco. "We see potential for both concepts in Australia."

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Renault's small EVs

Renault 4

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Image: Renault 4 concept patent images, courtesy Autovisie

For Oz? Very likely, 2025 or later

The 4Ever Trophy concept is not just a "retro-futuristic" reboot of the '60s Renault 4L, says design chief Gilles Vidal. "Put this back to the floor, with normal wheels and less extreme cladding," and you're looking at the small SUV EV Renault will produce from 2025. "It's not just a little bit close; it is actually production."

Renault 5

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For Oz? Likely, 2024 or later

Renault's 5 EV draws inspiration from the past, too, in this case the '70s. Vidal promises the 2021 5 Prototype concept seen here is a "95 per cent" accurate indication of the small electric hatch due in 2024. "It's only a matter of a few centimetres."