Overview

CONCEPT PHOTOGRAPH

The Renault 4 is arguably the most important car in the French firm’s illustrious history. Its production spanned four decades, during which time Renault sold over eight million units. Like the Renault 5, the 4 is now scheduled to return in pure-electric form in 2025.

We’ve seen the new Renault 4 in concept guise thanks to the reveal of the 4Ever Trophy concept at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. There’s also been a series of patent images leaked which give us a good look at how the production Renault 4 will be styled when it reaches showrooms.

The proposed Renault 4 design harks back to the original car, with a particularly retro-themed front end. Here we can see a rounded grille arrangement, although it will of course be blanked off given the electric powertrain. The headlights are positioned similarly to the original model, but they’re made of several strips instead of one round.

he overall boxy shape of the Renault 4 will be retained and we’ll also see chunky wheel arch extensions and a faux-vented rear pillar. The rear will use two individual light clusters, unlike the full-width light bar seen on the Renault 5 concept.

Renault’s patent images of the upcoming 4 aren’t the only glimpse of the car’s design. In 2021, Renault unveiled a new concept car called the ‘AIR4’ with assistance from mobility company The Arsenale. It was built to celebrate 60 years since the Renault 4 was launched. The body is a clear homage to the original Renault 4, but with LED headlights and a more rounded appearance.

With these design pointers, we’ve created some exclusive images as to how the Renault 4 could look. Like the original car it’ll offer a practical, spacious interior and have plenty of ground clearance – something that was core to the old car taking on its French rival, the Citroen 2CV.

Renault 4Ever Trophy concept
The Renault 4Ever Trophy concept previews the compact family SUV with an all-electric powertrain – and it’ll sport many of the design cues from this visually impactful prototype.

According to Laura Gregoire, product leader on the 4Ever project, the silver-coloured parts of the body are very close to the production-ready Renault 4’s look, with the black recycled plastic parts that give this 4Ever Trophy concept its rugged look likely not to make it for the road-going version. It’s thought there will be some cladding for the wheel arches and bumpers, but expect it to be toned down significantly, with the R4’s production body set to be narrower than this machine’s.

Renault chose to launch this concept in ‘Trophy’ form to honour the original Renault 4 and the off-road-prepared models that competed in the 4L Trophy. It’s the 25th anniversary of the humanitarian rally this year, an event that sees entrants endure testing conditions and roads to bring aid and other much-needed supplies to less privileged parts of the world.