Electric Renault R5: bad news on the horizon

Expected for next year, the electric Renault 5 could ultimately cost much more than expected and be around 30,000 euros. If the reason has not been mentioned, the increase in the cost of raw materials as well as production in France could explain it.

Renault is not idle with regard to its electrification, since the firm is preparing to lift the veil on its new Scénic E-Tech on the occasion of the next IAA in Munich, which the editorial staff of Survoltés will make you discover. The manufacturer, which relies heavily on nostalgia, unlike Volkswagen, is preparing the launch of its R5 in particular.

A higher price

The latter should see the light of day in the course of next year, when it was unveiled as a concept in January 2021, as part of the Renaulution. If for the time being, we do not know all its technical characteristics, the manufacturer continues to communicate about the one which will be available in an Alpine version inspired by the A290_β concept.

A few days ago, the general manager of the diamond brand, Fabrice Cambolive, answered questions from the German magazine auto-gazette about the future of Renault. And of course, the electric city car was at the heart of the discussions. And in particular its price, which has not yet been officially unveiled. But this could end up being higher than expected, while the manufacturer was initially counting on 20,000 euros.

Then, over time, the forecasts had evolved to revolve around 25,000 euros. But the manufacturer is not yet fixed, the manager asserting that the price will be around 25,000 euros before specifying that ” we work hard to market the R5 at less than 30,000 euros“. The electric city car could be very close to the Renault Zoé, currently displayed from 30,100 euros once the ecological bonus of 5,000 euros has been deducted.

For the record, the current Renault Twingo E-Tech starts from 20,250 euros, again with state aid removed from the price. Will the future R5 therefore be in the same price range? Without a doubt. Which turns out to be a little disappointing, since Fabrice Cambolive claims that the 100% electric Ampere division will lower prices.

Many obstacles

The businessman emphasizes that this subsidiary will not only help ” further reduce the costs of an electric carbut also the fixed costs of our company“. But in reality, it will actually be more complicated than that. And several reasons explain this probable increase in the price of the city car. First of all, its production in France, within the Douai factory.

However, we know that European labor is quite expensive, while the MG4 could also show a rising price if it were one day produced on the Old Continent. This is notably why Volkswagen could produce its future ID.1 for less than 20,000 euros in India. But that’s not all, because we must also take into account rising cost of raw materials and energy.

And for good reason, the price of electricity continues to rise, which will necessarily affect the cost of production and therefore the final amount paid by the customer. Anyway, Renault wants its city car to remain affordable, so that it can be a candidate of choice for the electric car project at 100 euros per month promised by Emmanuel Macron. And this thanks in particular to a simplified design and a battery offering greater energy density.

According to the interview, the Renault 4 should also display a competitive price, which has not yet been revealed. These two creations should in any case go hunting on the lands of the future Volkswagen ID.2 as well as the next Citroën ë-C3, which will also display a very affordable price. What give cold sweats to the Dacia Spring, which has almost no rival, until the BYD Seagull arrives in Europe.

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