{"id":1991668,"date":"2026-06-15T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1991668"},"modified":"2026-06-15T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T14:00:00","slug":"trojan-horses-how-renaults-design-led-evs-are-changing-the-companys-fortunes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1991668","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Trojan horses&#8217; &#8211; how Renault&#8217;s design-led EVs are changing the company&#8217;s fortunes"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"articleItem\">\n<p>    {&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Article&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntityOfPage&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;WebPage&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/renault\/2026-ev-success\/&#8221;},&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/renault\/2026-ev-success\/&#8221;,&#8221;author&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;CJ Hubbard&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;CJ is a former Associate Editor of CAR, and now runs parent company Bauer Mediau2019s Digital Automotive Hub u2013 the in-house team that provides much of the online content for CAR and sister site Parkers.co.uk as well as helping out with CAR magazine. Heu2019s been writing about cars professionally (if thatu2019s the right word) for nearly two decades, though attempts to hide this fact with an extensive moisturising routine. Rumour has it his first word was u2018caru2019 as well, mind, so his fascination with the topic goes back more than double that length of timeu2026nHis former life at specialist automotive editorial agency Motoring Research means heu2019s also written for the likes of PistonHeads, the Sunday Times, City AM, Auto Express and the Microsoft MSN network, and has appeared in print and on video all over the world. Heu2019s also previously taken a diversion into the world of light commercial vehicles, which means he knows an unhealthy amount about vans and pick-ups, too.nA career starting in 2006 has seen him cover events and create features from all over the globe, including locations as diverse as the Australian Outback, the Arctic Circle, the Omani desert, North and South America, India, China, Thailand and Cuba. An enthusiast and a technologist, he approaches the current quickening evolution of all things automotive with an analytical interest that aims to put the driver first, and feels incredible lucky to be experiencing so many of these changes first hand.nOver this time heu2019s driven everything from city cars to articulated trucks, and almost every type of power-source imaginable. Thereu2019s no steam car in the archive, but as well as petrol, diesel and electric, CJu2019s tried LPG, CNG and several varieties of hydrogen, including rotary and V12 as well fuel cell. Heu2019s daily driven a Lamborghini (tough gig; apparently even tougher to stop mentioning it, several years later), crossed Europe in a van, crashed on track, travelled on and off-road in all kinds of conditions, been kinetically recovered, run out of fuel, and even found himself reported as stolen. In Sweden.nCJu2019s personal four-wheeled back catalogue includes E30 and E34 BMWs, Fords fast and slow, multiple MX-5s, a Saab 900, a Nissan Sunny andu2026 a Vauxhall Cavalier. Having not learnt his lesson spending far too much money ITB-modifying an early Eunos Roadster, heu2019s now burning all his spare cash trying to keep a notoriously unfickle 996 alive. A car he bought largely by accident due to its entirely Nephrite Green interior. As such, heu2019s the very embodiment of why you should do your research before buying a car, rather than afterwards, a perspective that usefully comes across more correctly in his writing than his bank account.nFor cat pictures, random musings, and to see just how green that cabin really is, you can find CJ on Instagram, Threads and possibly Bluesky. Heu2019s also on LinkedIn, but is yet to work our quite why. CJu2019s latest CAR articles are listed below.&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14264\/cjhubbard.jpeg&#8221;,&#8221;caption&#8221;:&#8221;CJ Hubbard&#8221;},&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:[&#8220;https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/cj-hubbard-1a649888\/&#8221;,&#8221;https:\/\/x.com\/ir_427&#8243;,&#8221;https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ir_427\/&#8221;],&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/&#8221;,&#8221;alumniOf&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;EducationalOrganization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;MA (Distinction) in Motoring Journalism from Coventry University (2005-2006), BA (First) in American Studies (History) from University of Kent (1998-2002)&#8221;},&#8221;email&#8221;:&#8221;cj.hubbard@bauermedia.co.uk&#8221;,&#8221;jobTitle&#8221;:&#8221;Head of the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub&#8221;,&#8221;knowsAbout&#8221;:&#8221;automotive,road testing,car news,car advice,long-term tests,product testing&#8221;,&#8221;worksFor&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;CAR magazine&#8221;}},&#8221;dateModified&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-15T18:00:00+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;datePublished&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-15T18:00:00+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;headline&#8221;:&#8221;u0027Trojan horsesu0027 &#8211; how Renaultu0027s design-led EVs are changing the companyu0027s fortunes&#8221;,&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Bauer Media&#8221;,&#8221;brand&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Car Magazine&#8221;},&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/logos\/car.200&#215;88.png&#8221;}}}<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column xlarge-10 xlarge-push-2\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t&#8216;Trojan horses&#8217; &#8211; how Renault&#8217;s design-led EVs are changing the company&#8217;s fortunes<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<div class=\"hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"compact-author-info\">\n\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/\">CJ Hubbard<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"dates\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dates__date\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublished: Today 18:00<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"cms-content\">\n<div class=\"in-page-gallery full-width thumbnails-bullets\">\n<ul class=\"carousel\" data-orbit=\"true\" data-options=\"bullets: true; resume_on_mouseout: false; timer: false; variable_height: true; slide_number: false\">\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault&apos;s EV sales are accelerating\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault&#8217;s EV sales are accelerating<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault 4 E-Tech, front blue\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault 4 E-Tech, front blue<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault 4 Plein Sud, front view, red, driving\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault 4 Plein Sud, front view, red, driving<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault 4 Plein Sud, rear view, red, driving\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault 4 Plein Sud, rear view, red, driving<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault 5 (yellow) and Renault 4 (blue) are driving Renault&apos;s EV success\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault 5 (yellow) and Renault 4 (blue) are driving Renault&#8217;s EV success<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Colourful line-up of Renault Twingo E-Tech EVs\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Colourful line-up of Renault Twingo E-Tech EVs<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"Renault UK MD Adam Wood, speaking at the Renault 4 Plein Sud launch event\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x270\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x405\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1056x594\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg, (large)]\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption orbit-caption\">\n<div>Renault UK MD Adam Wood, speaking at the Renault 4 Plein Sud launch event<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleContent\">\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/4\/\" title=\"View all Renault 4 Reviews\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"info-link\"> View all Renault 4 Reviews<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"bold-links\">\n<p><strong>\u25ba\u00a0Strong electric car sales set to continue<\/strong><br \/><strong>\u25ba\u00a0What\u2019s next for current Renault EVs?<\/strong><br \/><strong>\u25ba\u00a0Will there be more Plein Sud models?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s\u00a0easy to understand why the current issues with the Strait of Hormuz and the impact of that on petrol prices might be driving more people to seriously consider an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/electric\/best-electric-cars-and-evs\/\">electric car<\/a>. After all, when the\u00a0cost of living\u00a0crunches, you start looking around for obvious ways to save money \u2013 and right now everything is pointing towards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/electric\/benefits-of-electric-cars\/\">running an EV<\/a> as an attractive\u00a0option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Renault,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0apparent\u00a0that people\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0just looking but\u00a0actually doing. According to figures presented during the launch of the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/2026-4-plein-sud\/\">Renault 4 Plein Sud<\/a>,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0been \u2013 as UK managing director Adam Wood puts it \u2013 \u2018a seismic uptick in interest in electric cars\u2019 of\u00a049 per cent since 28 February 2026.\u00a0The date conflict officially broke out between USA-Israel and Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>What\u2019s more significant about Wood\u2019s perspective, however, is that he believes this increased interest in EVs is \u2018not a blip\u2019 for Renault. But rather something that will continue even once this conflict eventually dies down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Going electric just makes sense?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>\u2018People are starting to see that electric cars make sense,\u2019 Wood explains, referring to a growing understanding of the importance of what he terms \u2018energy independence\u2019.\u00a0Cars that run on electricity no longer need to be held hostage to geopolitical events, because the source of their power is no longer reliant on fossil-fuel producing regions and the tensions that seem likely to continue to surround them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Renault UK MD Adam Wood, speaking at the Renault 4 Plein Sud launch event\" class=\"wp-image-266315\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x0\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1040x0\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>In Renault\u2019s case, it\u00a0presumably helps\u00a0that the firm has what is clearly the right product portfolio at the right time. Combined sales of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/5-hatchback\/\">Renault 5 E-Tech<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/4-suv\/\">Renault 4 E-Tech<\/a> positions the brand as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/electric\/best-small-electric-cars\/\">leading small EV<\/a> maker in the UK, and these products are also holding strong positions throughout Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Two years ago, the EV mix was\u00a012 per cent\u2019 says Wood, speaking again of the UK market, \u2018now it\u2019s at 38 per cent. The current order mix is now constantly above 50 per cent \u2013 and that\u2019s before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/2026-twingo-e-tech\/\">Twingo<\/a> and the R4 Plein Sud have arrived.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Underlining just how strongly Renault\u2019s electric cars \u2013 which also includes the exceptional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/scenic-e-tech-suv\/\">Scenic E-Tech<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/spy-shots\/renault\/megane-e-tech\/\">soon-to-be-facelifted Megane E-Tech<\/a>,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0forget \u2013 are performing here, year-on-year EV sales are up a staggering 74 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conquest success\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s\u00a0no doubt that the R5 and R4 are doing the business, though. Wood refers to them as \u2018trojan horses\u2019 for electric car adoption, attracting new customers to EV\u00a0ownership \u2013 and the Renault brand.\u00a0More than 13,000 R5s have found homes already, and its only just celebrated its first-year anniversary of going on sale in the UK.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Renault 5 (yellow) and Renault 4 (blue) are driving Renault&apos;s EV success\" class=\"wp-image-266312\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1040x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s\u00a0more,\u00a0no\u00a0less than 80 per cent of Renault 5 sales are\u00a0to\u00a0conquest customers \u2013 meaning they\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0previously driving a Renault. These cars are \u2018taping into a new audience,\u2019 says Wood,\u00a0such is the appeal of the retro but deeply satisfying design.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s\u00a0apparently \u2018no pattern to the part exchanges\u2019 either, as this new generation of electric Renaults brings in buyers from a wide range of\u00a0previous\u00a0vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does this mean for legacy models, like the Clio?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The UK is late to introduce the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/first-official-pictures\/renault\/clio\/\">latest generation of Clio<\/a>, which still\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0on sale here despite becoming available in Europe in 2025. As a result, you might start to wonder if there will be any customers left for that car by the time it finally arrives\u00a0\u2013\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not exactly a looker in comparison to its newly minted electric siblings, after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Wood is bullish, reminding us that the Clio has a huge following in the UK, and\u00a0represents\u00a0a different kind of customer \u2013 those still not ready to go for an EV. The latest version is still performing well in European markets, too, suggesting Renault\u2019s\u00a0strategy of splitting platforms and models between petrol \u2013 or rather, increasingly, hybrid \u2013 and pure electric is working out so far.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Colourful line-up of Renault Twingo E-Tech EVs\" class=\"wp-image-266310\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x0\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1040x0\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>There are no immediate plans for an electric Clio, for example \u2013 no sense that Renault feels the need to do what Volkswagen has done by introducing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/first-official-pictures\/volkswagen\/id-polo\/\">ID. Polo<\/a>. The strength of the design of Renault\u2019s dedicated EV models has done wonders for the brand, but the firm also got the companion technology right from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Introducing the\u00a0OpenR\u00a0Link infotainment system with Google built-in as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/renault\/megane-e-tech-electric\/\">Megane E-Tech<\/a> in 2022 delivered\u00a0a state-of-the-art\u00a0infotainment system that has continued to evolve. Soon this will not only offer over 100 available\u00a0apps\u00a0but voice control upgraded to Google\u2019s Gemini AI for more intuitive and conversational control. In the Renault 4 Plein Sud you can even talk to the car to get the roof open.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will there be Plein Sud versions of the Renault 5 and Twingo?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Response to the very idea of an open-top version of the Renault 4 has been so overwhelmingly positive\u00a0that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0hard not to wonder if Renault might try to replicate this success with its other modern-retro models. The\u00a0question\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0garner a flat no in the R4 Plein Sud press conference. In fact, the Renault personnel almost sounded flustered\u2026<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Renault 4 Plein Sud, rear view, red, driving\" class=\"wp-image-266314\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1040x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We cannot tell you anything about this,\u2019 says Renault 4 revenue lead, Benjamin Manceau. \u2018For Renault 4, this [the fold-back convertible roof] is related to the legacy of the car\u2019 \u2013 which makes sense, as there were many open-top variants of the original 4 that utilised a similar arrangement. \u2018For R5 or Twingo, I cannot say.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0not at least one styling model of each with exactly this treatment sitting in a Renault design studio somewhere,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0eat out notebook\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Any other upgrades coming for the Renault 4 in the future?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The Renault 4 already has the one-pedal driving mode recently added to the Renault 5, along with an upgraded suite of active safety technology. And Google Gemini is on the way \u2013 as is a new My RNLT smartphone app to replace the current My Renault effort\u00a0(rated a\u00a0rather lame\u00a01.5 stars in the Google Play store at present).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Renault 4 Plein Sud, front view, red, driving\" class=\"wp-image-266313\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/480x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/720x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1040x0\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>But there is still more to come. Of\u00a0particular note\u00a0is the news that LFP battery technology will be available \u2018within the lifecycle of the Renault 4\u2019 \u2013\u00a0perhaps even\u00a0as early as Autumn 2026. These lithium-ion phosphate batteries have the advantage of not relying on rare-earth metals in the same way that Renault\u2019s current NMC (that\u2019s nickel,\u00a0manganese\u00a0and cobalt) batteries do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>LFP is cheaper to produce, but can be trickier to charge, less energy efficient and heavier \u2013 though developments in battery design may overcome some of these issues.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0told Renault will continue with both types of battery chemistry in the future, even after LFP starts to be more widely introduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<aside class=\"about-author\">\n<h2 class=\"about-author-heading\">About the author<\/h2>\n<div class=\"about-author-inner\">\n<div class=\"main-author-summary-container\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"main-author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14264\/120x120\/cjhubbard.jpeg?quality=90)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"main-author-name-container\">\n<div class=\"main-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/\">CJ Hubbard<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"main-author-job-title\">Head of the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"main-author-byline\">CJ is a former Associate Editor of CAR, and now runs parent company Bauer Media\u2019s Digital Automotive Hub \u2013 the in-house team that provides much of the online content for CAR and sister site Parkers.co.uk as well as helping out with CAR magazine. He\u2019s been writing about cars professionally (if that&#8217;s the right word) for nearly two decades, though attempts to hide this fact with an extensive moisturising routine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"column show-for-xlarge-up xlarge-2 xlarge-pull-10\">\n<figure class=\"author-info clearfix\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14264\/85x85\/cjhubbard.jpeg?quality=90)\"><\/a><figcaption>\n<p class=\"author-name\">\n\t\t\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/cj-hubbard\/\">CJ Hubbard<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"author-quote\">Head of the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub and former Associate Editor of CAR. Road tester, organiser, reporter and professional enthusiast, putting the driver first<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column xlarge-10 xlarge-push-2 disqus\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a id=\"commentsExpander\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/renault\/2026-ev-success\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon fi-comments\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"link-text disqus-comment-count\" data-disqus-identifier=\"article-wp-266306\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"commentsSection\">\n<div id=\"disqus_thread\"><\/div>\n<p>var disqus_shortname = &#8216;carmagazine&#8217;;<br \/>\nvar disqus_developer = 0;<br \/>\nvar disqus_identifier = &#8216;article-wp-266306&#8217;;<br \/>\n\t(function () {<br \/>\n\t\tvar dsq = document.createElement(&#8216;script&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.type = &#8216;text\/javascript&#8217;;<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.async = true;<br \/>\n\t\tdsq.src = 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|| [];<br \/>\n  _taboola.push({<br \/>\n    mode: &#8216;thumbs-feed-1&#215;1&#8217;,<br \/>\n    container: &#8216;taboola-below-article-thumbnails-v3&#8217;,<br \/>\n    placement: &#8216;Below Article Thumbnails V3&#8217;,<br \/>\n    target_type: &#8216;mix&#8217;<br \/>\n  });<\/p>\n<div data-id=\"content-rec-01\" class=\"content-rec-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"content-rec-02\" class=\"content-rec-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"content-rec-03\" class=\"content-rec-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"largeGallery\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__container\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__leaderboard-gallery-container\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__leaderboard-gallery-container__inner\">\n<div id=\"leaderboard-gallery\" class=\"leaderboard-gallery advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__adverts show-for-large-up\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__adverts__inner\" data-right-ad-frequency=\"3\" data-slide-ad-frequency=\"4\" data-slide-ad-duration=\"2\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__adverts__inner__mpu\">\n<div class=\"mpu-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hide-for-large-up\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"mpu-gallery\" class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ads-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__caption__container\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__caption\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__caption__text\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__slider__container\">\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__slider royalSlider rsDefault\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- can this be ul \/ li'd --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault&#8217;s EV sales are accelerating<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault 4 E-Tech, front blue<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-r4-blue-front.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault 4 Plein Sud, front view, red, driving<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-front-driving.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault 4 Plein Sud, rear view, red, driving<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-r4-plein-sud-red-rear-driving.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault 5 (yellow) and Renault 4 (blue) are driving Renault&#8217;s EV success<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-r4-r5.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Colourful line-up of Renault Twingo E-Tech EVs<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-twingo-line-up.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rsImg\" href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/1752x1168\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?mode=max&amp;quality=90&amp;scale=down\"><span class=\"inner\">Renault UK MD Adam Wood, speaking at the Renault 4 Plein Sud launch event<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rsTmb\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/79x79\/renault-ev-success-uk-md-adam-wood.jpg?quality=50\" alt style=\"border-width:0px\"><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"slide-gallery__controls\">\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Toggle thumbnails\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-list-thumbnails show-for-large-up\" data-elem=\"thumbsToggle\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Previous photo\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-arrow-left\" data-elem=\"prev\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Next photo\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-arrow-right\" data-elem=\"next\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Toggle caption\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-info\" data-elem=\"captionToggle\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Zoom in\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-zoom-in\" data-elem=\"zoomIn\"><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span title=\"Zoom out\" class=\"slide-gallery__controls__icon fi-zoom-out\" 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data-elem=\"close\"><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Article&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/266306\/renault-ev-success-r5-yellow-driving.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntityOfPage&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;WebPage&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/renault\/2026-ev-success\/&#8221;},&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/renault\/2026-ev-success\/&#8221;,&#8221;author&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;CJ Hubbard&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;CJ is a former Associate Editor of CAR, and now runs parent company Bauer Mediau2019s Digital Automotive Hub u2013 the in-house team that provides much of the online content for CAR and sister site Parkers.co.uk as well as helping out with CAR magazine. Heu2019s been writing about cars professionally (if thatu2019s the right word) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[239,226],"class_list":["post-1991668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-carmagazine-co-uk","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1991668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1991668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1991668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1991668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1991668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1991668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}