Renault unveils seven offerings from its various sub-brands, while Chinese electric brands show a host of new models for the first time in Europe.
Renault kicks off the presentations at this year’s Paris auto show by presenting no fewer than seven global debuts from its collective sub-brands.
CEO Luca de Meo follows this up by promising another 25 new models will be launched by 2025. This expansion of its product range will not be focused only on battery-electric vehicles where the group, together with its Alliance partner Nissan, has been at the forefront for more than a decade.
In fact, with its commercial sub-brand Hyvia and Alpine Alpenglow ICE hydrogen-burning concept, the automaker sees the gas as the way forward for powertrains that can’t handle the limitations of BEVs.
Possibly the most stirring of the group’s launches was the rebirth of the famous Renault 4 badge in the shape of the new Renault 4Ever Trophy (pictured, below). The name derives from the off-road desert rally series across Morocco that saw old 4s continue in use 30 years after production of the base cars had ceased. Now an all-electric concept suggests the model could be on its way back.
Paul Myles
Renault 4Ever Trophy concept.
The retro-styled Trophy is designed to combine rugged off-road looks with appropriate technologies including extensive use of carbon fiber to keep weight to a minimum, a spare tire located on the roof, a shovel and waffle boards on the upper section of the rear door and a visible compressor on each wheel to alter tire pressures for optimum grip on a variety of terrains.
Renault says the show car paves the way for the future all-electric B-segment SUV that will work on urban and rural roads alike.
Renault also unveils its Kangoo Hippie Caviar Motel concept in a clear bid to steal some of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz’s thunder. It’s a converted van built around the Kangoo L2 E-Tech Electric claiming a versatile living shelter for adventurers and sports aficionados.
The Megane E-Tech Electric is the first model in Renault’s “generation 2.0” of BEVs. It is connected and integrated into the EV ecosystem as well as users’ digital ecosystems and Renault hopes it’s the first step to reconquering the C-segment where the brand once was a dominant force.
The automaker’s Mobilize sub-brand introduces the Duo, essentially a take on the Renault Twizy but specifically designed to appeal to the young, connected urban generations on a subscription or car-share basis.
Renault’s budget brand, Dacia, debuts its radical off-road concept aimed at pitching the brand upmarket into the C-segment. The Manifesto Concept draws heavily from the dune-buggy school of design. While this BEV concept is unlikely to see production, the automaker is promising many of its features will be seen in future vehicles, including, perhaps, airless tires that last the life of the vehicle.
Jeep
Jeep provides a show highlight with the long-awaited European debut of its first BEV, the Jeep Avenger (pictured, above). Parent Stellantis says it is the first of the brand’s range of BEVs aimed at the European market, which is only second to China in take-up of all-electric vehicles.
It uses the group’s second-generation 400V electric powertrain and is the first one to be launched by Emotors, a joint venture between Stellantis and Nidec Leroy-Somer Holding. It claims a power output of 115 kW (156 hp) and 191 lb.-ft. (259 Nm) of maximum torque.
Stellantis claims its new, in-house 54-kWh battery pack delivers 248 miles (399 km) of range in the WLTP cycle, or 341 miles (549 miles) in the urban cycle.
The Avenger is supplied with a 100-kW Mode 4 cable which, when connected to fast public charge, yields an 18.6-mile (30-km) range after just three minutes. Considering that figure is the average commute for Europeans, the automaker estimates the vehicle can be driven for days before recharging.
Its off-road credentials include it being the first front-wheel-drive Jeep vehicle equipped with standard Selec-Terrain, offering six driving modes, and hill descent control.
The super-premium brand DS Automobiles reveals its young-buyer-targeted DS 3 E-Tense, a BEV making its first public appearance in a 100% electric livery claiming up to 250-mile (403-km) range; the DS 4 in its plug-in hybrid version with extended electric range; and the DS 9 Opéra special edition.
The other Stellantis headliner is Peugeot’s latest mid-market challenger, the Peugeot 408 plug-in hybrid. This comes with a 7.4-kW on-board charger and a claimed combined power output of 225 hp from its 81-kW electric motor and 1.6L gasoline engine.
Chinese electric brands show a host of new models for the first time in Europe.
Paul Myles
BYD reveals its full range of models from compact to medium-sized sedans and SUVs with engaging names including Tang, Han, Cat, Coffee and Marvel. Smaller brands Seres and Leap Motor share a stand to show off their BEV hopefuls.
Great Wall Motors brings two of its brands to show including the Wey PHEV and its newest all-electric badge, the Ora. At present, neither are available in the European market but, unlike some of the other Chinese automakers in Paris to sound out the public’s response, GWM pledges to enter the German market in early 2023 with its Wey Coffee 01 model (pictured, above), followed shortly afterward by the Next Ora Cat BEV in the U.K. market.
While Renault talks up hydrogen, French start-up NamX displays a premium hydrogen utility vehicle that is readying for production. Entrepreneur Faouzi Annajah and French designer Thomas de Lussac have teamed up with legendary Italian design house Pininfarina to create a striking hydrogen fuel-cell-powered performance car.
The range-topping NamXperience GT version claims 550 hp, a 500-mile (805-km) range and a 0-to-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint time of 4.3 seconds. Said to be available for delivery from fourth-quarter 2025, the car will cost between €65,000 ($63,500) and €95,000 ($93,000) in Europe.
Lastly, Vietnamese BEV automaker Vinfast displays the most models at a European show thus far with its sedan and SUV range denominated from VF6 to VF9. The latest two, VF8 and VF9, also boast styling from Pininafarina.
Keyword: Jeep’s First BEV Headlines at Paris Auto Show