French automaker Renault is poised for success with its upcoming Renault 5 Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), as the company reports an impressive 50,000 orders on the waitlist just days after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
Scheduled to officially go on sale in May in Europe, the Renault 5 BEV is priced starting at €25,000, approximately $27,130, making it significantly more affordable than many of its rivals. Manufactured in Northern France, this retro-inspired vehicle represents Renault’s first all-new small EV since the renowned Zoe was introduced in 2014.
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“We have a waiting list of 50,000 people,” said Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive in an interview with Automotive News Europe. “We will open orders in May, and we’ll start to deliver cars in September or October.”
The Renault 5 BEV will be offered in three different electric motor configurations, providing 70 kW, 90 kW, or 110 kW of power. With a maximum battery size of 52 kWh, the vehicle is expected to deliver a WLTP range of up to 400 km (249 miles) and can tow a trailer with a capacity of up to 500 kg. Additionally, a version with a smaller 40 kWh battery offering a 300 km range will be launched a few months after the larger battery option. Color options for the Renault 5 include Pop Yellow, Pop Green, as well as more classic choices.
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The new Renault 5 BEV, showcased at the Geneva Motor Show, is positioned to compete with models such as the Fiat 500e and Mini Electric, targeting the trendy, upmarket segment of small EV drivers. This places it slightly above Renault’s recently unveiled Twingo in terms of price point.
Cambolive stated that Renault aims to transition its Zoe drivers to the Renault 5, noting that the company doesn’t see the vehicle in direct competition with the Clio, Europe’s second-best-selling car last year, which is available in a hybrid version but not as an all-electric vehicle.
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“The ICE cars we are selling are mostly full-hybrid, so they are very efficient,” he said. “Regarding our EV strategy, we are going to continue our progress on cutting costs and transfer some of the gains to the cost of the car to have more competitiveness in the future. But even more than that, after launching two EVs in the C-segment [the Scenic and Megane compacts], we will make the shift to EVs in the B-segment thanks to the Renault 5 and the Renault 4 [a small SUV due in 2025]. The biggest volumes in the shift will come in the B-segment.”
In January, Renault canceled its planned IPO for its EV spinoff Ampere, citing suboptimal market conditions. Despite this setback, Ampere plans to offer seven models by 2031, including the electric Mégane E-Tech, Scenic, R5, and R4, as well as the new low-cost Twingo, expected to cost less than €20,000 ($22,000).
