The Renault 5 E-Tech recreated the classic design of the 1980s with modernity and innovation. The design director of the Renault Group, Laurens van den Acker, explained that the electric motor was key to the shape of the car.
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28/10/2026
by
News to Minutes
ANDm 2024, the Renault 5 E-Tech has reached the market, bringing back the spirit of the original model of combustion of the 1980s that marked both the history of the french manufacturer.
The hatchback of contemporary B segment is 100 percent electric and has a design that combines modernity with retro character. And it was only possible to get to the format with which it stayed thanks to the fact that it had an electric motor.
In an interview with Edison, design director of Renault Group Laurens van den Acker revealed: “We couldn't get the R5 in this way with a combustion engine. It would have required much larger front balances. Ironically, the electrical architecture allows us to be very close to the proportions of the 1970s and 1980s again”.
The regulatory requirements in terms of safety and resistance to current conflicts are very different from those in the 1980s, observed the designer.
He also explained: “Today we have a long distance between axles, short swings and a compact electric motor that leaves space for larger, more articulated wheels. Although the R5 is also slightly higher than the original, the large wheels visually disguise it in perfection. It looks like the old R5, at a scale of 110 percent”.
The Renault 5 E-Tech became a sales phenomenon in the segment and was considered the Car of the Year in Europe in 2025. Like the other two neoclassics of the manufacturer (R4 E-Tech and Twingo E-Tech), it does not want to represent the past, but to connect the past and the future – giving the public an electrical solution that is not an absolute visual novelty having an identifiable design with an iconic model of once.