Renault AIR4
Renault and Miami-based design firm TheArsenale have announced a partnership to create an electrically powered flying drone called the AIR4. The unconventional vehicle design is influenced by the Renault 4, an iconic small French family car. Showcasing this innovative design is intended as a 60th-anniversary celebration of the Renault 4 and we love it!
The Idea Behind The Renault 4 Flying Car Concept
The AIR4 concept is a vision of the future and showcases the potential of how a car can be reimagined in 50 or 60 years.
The body, built entirely of carbon fibre, was designed to resemble the original 1961 car. According to the French carmaker, the show car is “designed for the roads of the future that are visualised to be in the air. It provides an innovative insight into how the Renault 4 could look in another 60 years”.
While it may be a show car, it was engineered to fly which took some doing. The drone’s thrust and lift required “hundreds of calculations and tests” before the AIR4’s stiffness was deemed sufficient so that “real-world trials could begin”, according to Renault.
Nothing has been confirmed in terms of release date or potential production but it comes at the perfect time as they are planning on relaunching the iconic Renault 4 as a small, budget-friendly electric car in a few years.
Specifications Of The Renault 4 Electric Drone
Like a typical drone, the AIR4 has two-blade propellers at each corner of the car and there are no wheels. Power comes from 22,000 AMP-hour lithium-polymer batteries with an output of 90,000mAh but no voltage has been revealed while the thrust per propellor is 95kg making up a total of 380kg.
The chassis sits in the middle of the drone’s propellor frames allowing the driver to access the car by lifting up the shell which is hinged at the front. The interior has been described as “utilitarian” but the automaker hasn’t shared any more information about what it might include.
According to Renault, the AIR4 concept has a horizontal top speed of 58mph (93 km/h), can fly at an altitude of up to 700m, and has the ability to tilt up to 70 degrees in flight. It can take off at up to 31 mph (50 km/h) but is currently restricted to 9mph (14 km/h) for safety reasons and can land at just under 7mph (11 km/h).
Renault 4: The People’s Car Of The Future
Designed, engineered and built in France, the AIR4 concept drone was on display at the Atelier Renault museum in Paris until the end of 2021 and will be on show in 2022 in Miami, New York and Macau.
The Renault 4 is considered as one of the original “people’s cars”. They sold eight million cars in more than 100 countries over a period of 30 years with the last one coming off the production line at the end of 1992.
The Renault 4 was designed as a car for everyone says Renault VP of product strategy Sam Abadir. “In those days Renault imagined a wide variety of Renault 4 owners: couples, parents and their children and even a Renault 4 taxi. We see the AIR4 as a vehicle that can be driven by anyone – it’s open to interpretation.”
According to Renault, the “AIR4 is a symbol of independence and freedom, born out of the realisation that traffic is compounding, lives are grinding to a halt, and the world above us is unhampered. AIR4 claims the air as the new road of the future.”
All-Electric Renault 4
Whether or not they decide to make more of these well-engineered AIR4 drones, they’ve done enough to showcase their capabilities to design cars for now and in the future.
However, the focus should be on the next-generation electric Renault 4 which is an exciting prospect, to say the least. For more interesting motoring news and to stay updated on this story, follow our blog or find us on Facebook.
