2025 Renault 4 E-Tech Design Teaser Pics Confirm Retractable Canvas Roof

2 months, 2 weeks ago - 2 October 2024, autoevolution

Renault's forthcoming revival of the 4 will be revealed later this month in Paris. Fully electric, the crossover sibling to the hatchback-bodied 5 E-Tech shows quite a few retro styling cues, beginning with the pill-shaped taillights and the upright liftgate.

Inspired by the internal combustion original, the 4 E-Tech also flaunts trapezoidal rear quarter windows. Renault further harks back to the plastic shielding of later models through parallel sculpted lines on the lower part of the doors. The roof-mounted spoiler is a nod to the forebearer as well, as is the design of the stickers on the front fenders.

Vertical overriders for the front and rear bumpers also need to be mentioned, evoking the rubber buffers of the dino juice-drinking economy car. Although not visible in these pictures, we do know from our carparazzi that the 4 E-Tech comes with round headlights. The design teaser pics from Renault, meanwhile, confirm a backlit Renault badge up front, which is joined by two LED strips that connect said headlights. There's even a retractable canvas roof in the offing, albeit we're pretty sure that it's going to be limited to the best-equipped grades of the bunch.

Just like its hugely successful predecessor, the 4 E-Tech is a front-drive affair. The 4Ever Trophy concept may look rugged, but it's front-wheel drive as well. Be that as it may, there's a case to be made for a dual-motor setup. On the other hand, you're better off with a single motor in the name of range.

Underpinned by the CMF-B EV platform of the 5 E-Tech, an electric vehicle architecture that's currently referred to as AmpR Small after the company's Ampere division, the 4 E-Tech is expected with a choice of two batteries. The 4Ever Trophy flaunts 52 kilowatt hours, while 5 E-Tech can be had with either 40 or 52 kilowatt hours. What about driving range and maximum output?

While nothing has been confirmed in this regard for the 4Ever Trophy, we do know that 5 E-Tech goes up to 410 kilometers or 255 miles on the WLTP's combined test cycle. As for the front-mounted electric motor, there are six potential candidates to speak of, beginning with the 100-kW drive unit of the 4Ever Trophy. Moving on, the 5 E-Tech boasts 94, 121, or 148 mechanical ponies.

The most powerful application of the CMF-B EV is the Alpine A290. Think of it as the Alpine brand's take on the 5 E-Tech, with Alpine quoting either 180 ps (178 hp) for the GT and GT Premium or 218 ps (215 hp) for the GT Performance and GTS models. In theory, a dual-motor EV on said platform could easily produce over 400 mechanical horsepower.

Similar to the 5 E-Tech, the 4 E-Tech will be produced at Renault ElectriCity in the northern part of France. The somewhat cringey name can also be read as Douai, Maubeuge, and Ruitz, specifically the plants tasked with B EV/AmpR Small production.

Slightly longer than the 5 at 4.1 meters compared to 3.9 meters, the 4 is certain to attract new people in Renault showrooms. The big question is, will it match the commercially successful combustion model in terms of sales? Given that Renault, subsidiaries, and partners produced the original to the tune of more than 8.1 million units in 33 years, that'd be a big fat no.