Renault 4 & 5 impresses at Festival International
Only the French would have a competition to choose the most beautiful concept car of the year. Only the French would include in its jury panel not only car industry and motoring journalists, but members from design-heavy fields like architecture and jewellery. But the jury’s task was merely to shortlist the contestants, and the public ultimately voted online. And voted they did, choosing the Renault 5 prototype by 70%, while the Renault SUITE N°4 got the Jury’s Honourable Mention Award.
The Festival Automobile International has been going since the mid-‘80s and its Concept Car competition is called the Fashion Week of the automotive industry, because like the couture equivalents, there are no limits. At the fashion week events, you will see dresses and other outfits that would and could never be worn in public. Yet like the fashion weeks, the Festival often gives a hint of what is to come. The Renault 5 is a true prototype and you can see it coming to a street near you soon, while the SUITE N°4 is pure concept, totally off-the-wall, yet weirdly compelling.
Renault 5 Prototype
Both the Renault 5 and 4 were introduced last year as electric celebrations of their illustrious 50 and 60-year-old forefathers. Both vehicles were retro-chic masterpieces, keeping the charm of the old with the edge of the new and added spark of being electric. The 5 is a focussed design that commits Renault to make electric vehicles that are accessible throughout Europe. It is a charming car and we should see a mass-produced version around 2024.
Renault SUITE N°4
The N°4 is . . . different. Its inspiration is the idea of a nomad hotel suite. It has the same spare dimensions as the original, but from there the strange gets real. Architecture and automotive collide in the back, with the back seat and the hatch replaced by large polycarbonate windows and furnished with lounge-like soft furnishings. It looks like the front part of those glass-nosed WWII bombers flying backwards.
The hotel idea is taken a step further by painting the body with a special paint that gives the look and feel of cement walls. The front grille is made of polished aluminium and does not detract from the general feeling of strangeness.
Choose one
The Renault 5 Prototype has the feeling of a road-ready car. You can see yourself getting into one and heading to work in style. The SUITE N°4 has the feeling of one of those fashion week dresses that are held together with pins and panic and will not survive contact with the real world. Yet, imagine pitching up to drop your child at school in one of those. L’étonnement!
