RENAULT’S « NOUVELLE VAGUE »

• The Renault brand moves into a new era and launches its own “Nouvelle Vague,” bringing modernity to the European automotive by turning into a tech, service, and clean energy brand.
• By 2025, Renault will launch 14 core vehicles. 7 will be full-electric, 7 will be in the C/D segment. All of our new models will have an electric or hybrid version.
• Renault unveils Renault 5 Prototype, showing what Renaulution means when it comes to product. 

Boulogne-Billancourt – January 14, 2021. At the presentation of Groupe Renault’s Renaulution strategic plan, Renault lifted the veil on its strategy for the next five years and beyond. With Revolution, the Renault brand embraces the changes from the automotive market. With its “Nouvelle Vague,” Renault will bring modernity to the automotive industry by becoming a tech, service, and clean energy brand. Renault will sustain its leadership in the energy transition through electrified & hydrogen solution, offering the greenest mix in Europe by 2025. As for technology, Renault will leverage the “Software République,” an open ecosystem dedicated to software, data, cybersecurity, and microelectronics. This will fuel the Renault line-up with connected services. The value will come from a better mix distribution in favor of the C-segment, the development of cutting-edge technologies, and new lifecycle business opportunities.

Decisive arguments in support 

Innovation has been at the heart of the Renault brand for 120 years. The brand has strong assets to substantiate its ambition to be the ‘Nouvelle Vague.’ Renault is the European EV market leader with more than 10 years of in-depth experience in electric mobility, services, and more than 300 000 vehicles sold. Renault also invented E-TECH, a hybrid technology including more than 150 patents and drawing on the brand’s electrical and F1 experience. The Software Factory gathers over 1000 engineers specialized in software, data & cloud services, soon to be joined by many others. A unique industrial site, the Flins Re-Factory, Europe’s first mobility-specific circular economy factory, also embodies Renault’s modernity. But all this is just the beginning…

“At Renault, we embrace the waves of disruption and create our own ‘Nouvelle Vague.’ It’s about bringing modernity to the automotive industry. We’ll move to an energy brand, strengthen our EV leadership with the Electro Pole project, and invest in Hydrogen, aiming to achieve the greenest mix in Europe by 2025. We’ll also be a tech brand, through in-house innovation and through the Software République, an open ecosystem dedicated to developing European expertise in key fields such as data or cybersecurity. This will give us a competitive edge as a service brand, with high-tech connected services, onboard & offboard. And this vision of modernity, we anchor it in France. Because as a brand, we know our soul and our strength lie in our origins. 

The new R5 is the Nouvelle Vague: it’s strongly connected to its history, and yet it’s the future, making electric cars popular. “

Luca de Meo, CEO Groupe Renault

Three fields of competitiveness

Renault will evolve into: 

A Tech brand with an ecosystem approach aims to create world-leading, next-generation mobility OEMs and suppliers. This ecosystem called “Software République” will allow Renault, other founding members, and future partners to develop joined expertise, build European know-how and defend our sovereignty in key technologies from big data to electronics. It will also allow Renault to equip its vehicles with leading artificial intelligence and cyber-security systems. 

– a Service brand offering the best connectivity and high-tech services embedded natively in our vehicles. In 2022, Renault will be introducing My Link, a new infotainment system with Google Built-in. Renault will be the first carmaker to bring Google services to mass-market cars.

Becoming more intelligent every day, our vehicles will gain value over time. They will also live longer.  Further, Renault will try to break the consumerist cycle and generate the value until vehicles’ end-of-life, all thanks to its Re-Factory in Flins (France). The plant will recondition more than 100,000 used cars per year, repurpose Diesel LCV and convert them into biogas and pure EV. Renault also has a clear advantage where second life and end of life of batteries. The control of these parts of the value chain can generate new business cases and value. 

– a Clean Energy brand, becoming a leader of the energy transition. Challenging leaders on the hybrid markets thanks to its revolutionary E-TECH technology, Renault will sustain its leadership on the electric market with new products based on our two dedicated electric platforms CMF-EV and CMF-B EV. The brand will also offer market-ready, end-to-end hydrogen solutions for LCVs. The target is to reach the greenest mix in the European market. 

As for the range, Renault will make a double-down on both electrification and mix improvement. A repositioned line-up will help the brand win back its front seat in the C-segment while shoring up its B-segment leadership. 14 models will be launched by 2025 (7 electric and 7 C/D segment vehicles) with the ambition to have upper segments accounting for 45% of sales by the same year. 

Renault 5 Prototype: The rebirth of a cult car, more modern than ever

The soul of a brand is in its roots. Without falling into the past, she has to reconnect with it and draw its inspiration to find the spirit of the glorious times. This is the Renault 5 Prototype role to show that Renault will democratize the electric car in Europe with a modern approach to the popular and essential car. The Renault 5 prototype is a cute, pint-sized city car taking one of Renault’s timeless success to the future with a modern, 100% electric twist. It kept the fun, anti-crisis, and mischievous side, with the pop of yellow highlights. Gilles Vidal’s design team was inspired by a world-renowned cult model from Renault’s past, the R5. The Renault 5 prototype takes strong features from the original design. The modern approach is also evident in the chosen finishes and materials inspired by the worlds of electronics, furniture, and sports. 

 “The Renault 5 Prototype design is based on the R5, a cult model of our heritage. This prototype embodies modernity, a vehicle relevant to its time: urban, electric, attractive.”

Gilles Vidal, Renault Design Director

The R5 is immediately recognizable, but thanks to a modern treatment of lines and flush surfaces with futuristic detailing (lights, front face…), the result is resolutely in the spirit of the current times. The styling elements are taken from the original design in a modern way hide very modern functions: the bonnet air intake hides the charging hatch, the rear lights include aero flaps, and the fog lamps in the bumper are daytime running lights. There is even a nod to the original ‘5’ on the side grid, the wheels, and the rear logo. The front end and the textile roof drew from the world of furniture are full of ‘French charm,’ a hint of mischief, a character that pulls on the heartstrings. The front and rear logos light up, bringing the car ‘to life.’ In the rear-view mirrors, the French flag underlines the “invented in France” side of the vehicle, the headrest lights and the name displayed on the small transparent screen on the dashboard invite you to hop in for a ride.