New Zoe soon, high five for likely replacement

Renault here has confirmed intent to keep its small electric car in circulation and is also looking forward to what’s coming next.

it’s still a concept and perhaps four years out from production, but the reborn 5 is already being cited as a replacement for he current Zoe electric car. It’s certainly excited Renault’s national distributor.

INTENT to maintain electric vehicle scene connection has driven Renault here to sign up for a new version of its Zoe small hatch and also look into achieving that car’s ultimate replacement – a battery-compelled rebirth of one the make’s most iconic past products.

Renault New Zealand will release the new Zoe in the first half of this year, local brand spokeswoman Kimberley Waters.

 In confirming commitment to the refresh of Europe’s best-selling electric car, which holds a recommended retail of $59,990 in current format, Waters has also signalled there’s high local interest in plugging into the make’s future electric products.

One that has raised particular interest is a concept that revives the spirit and shape of the iconic Renault 5 small hatchback.

Determination to return the famous 5 to the roadscape was recently expressed by Renault’s new chief executive, Luca De Meo, when he outlined a multi-year plan designed to both wipe away last year's colossal $NZ11.8-billion loss, and also turn the Renault and Dacia brands to new, electrified, futures.

“As the market leader for EVs in Europe, we welcome the news that Renault is developing more EV choices for consumers,” said Waters in response to De Meo’s punningly-described 'Renaulution' strategy.

“Should the Renault 5-inspired EV become available to our market we will engage in conversations with (the) factory with the aim of adding it to our vehicle range.”

the updated zoe will be here soon.

Meanwhile, Renault NZ has yet to provision any specific detail in respect to plans for the updated Zoe, which announced in Europe last year.

The car looks barely changed from the outside, but Renault has made extensive alterations under the skin and within the cabin.

The revised model has a 50kWh battery pack, which has a rated range of 395 kilometres, according to Rewnault, or 390km according to the tougher WLTP testing cycle. Previously, the top-spec Zoe had a 41kWh battery and a claimed range of 300km.

 The charging system has also been upgraded, and is now compatible with 50kW DC chargers, as well as Type-2 and Chameleon AC systems up to 22kW.

Two motors are available in Europe, a base 80kW/225Nm R110, and the more powerful 100kW/245Nm R135, which is capable of 0-100km/h in under 10 seconds and a top speed of 140kmh. Detail of what NZ is getting has not been shared. The current car has a 68kW/226Nm unit.

The Zoe's single-speed transmission now includes a B-mode, which begins engine braking the moment the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal.

The front end features a more sharply creased bonnet, reshaped headlight units with C-shaped LED driving lights, and a new front fascia with a studded lower air intake and some vent-like apertures surrounding the fog lights.

The interior has been given a far more comprehensive overhaul with a new dashboard boasting a more modern design and higher quality soft-touch materials, both seemingly inspired by the latest Clio small hatch.

A customisable 10.0-inch instrumentation display is standard. In the centre of the dashboard is a 9.3-inch curved touchscreen infotainment compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Via a smartphone app, drivers can plan out their driving route for the day, find the nearest charging stations, get range estimates, remotely manage the Zoe's charging, and send an itinerary to the car's infotainment system.

The interior is available with seat and dashboard fabric made from recycled PET bottles. 

Overseas media are speculating that the car will remain in production for three to four more years, then be replaced by the electric 5 concept that took centre stage during the presentation.

Renault has hinted strongly that the new 5 will enter the world’s showrooms in 2025, as an opus of a product revitalisation strategy that will happen in three stages.

The initial phase, called Resurrection, runs from now until 2023 and basically involves Renault shoring up its shattered finances.

In concert with that, up till 2025, there will be a Renovation phase, which will focus on new models, especially those powered by batteries.  

Finally, from 2025 onwards, there will be a Revolution phase, which will, in De Meo's words, "pivot the business model to tech, energy and mobility."

By 2025, 14 new models will be launched, and seven of those will be fully electric.  

Renault will drop diesel power from its passenger car lineup, and replace it with hybrid or plug-in hybrid models. A diesel engine will still be developed, but it will only be used in commercial vehicles. Renault also wants to push forward into hydrogen fuel cell development for its larger vans and heavy trucks.  

The electric 5 is expected to be present as an excitement car within this process, but is also fully anticipated to replace the current Zoe. 

Designed under a team lead by former Peugeot head of design Gilles Vidal, it will likely use the new CMF-EV chassis, but it may also carry-over the existing Zoe chassis in order to keep development, and purchase, costs down.

Thought is that it will probably mirror its circa-50kWh battery capacity and 400km range).

Overseas’ media have reminded that De Meo has experience of just how important a retro-style 'icon' car can be to a car company - he held a senior position at Fiat when, in 2007, the renewed 500 small car effectively saved the day.

Overseas commentators who have examined the Five concept have expressed hope the car’s chic details will make it through to production.

With the study, the charging socket is hidden under a replica of the original 5s bonnet vent; the French tricolors represent in the wing mirrors; the 'Renault' logo on the front airdam lights up and the clusters of LED lights mimic the shape of the original car’s headlights.

Renault has been dropping strong hints that it may revive the original Renault 4 in electric form, as a larger, more practical, and slightly more utilitarian sister car to the new 5.

Trophy added to Megane RS cabinet

The highest-performance edition of Renault’s hot hatch has finally reached New Zealand.

MODEST sales volume but massive for brand awareness – that factor thankfully keeps Renault’s Megane RS hot hatch off the endangered list.

The brand’s New Zealand distributor is quite open about this being the variant that contributes least to keeping the local outfit’s lights on, in that it really delivers a very light volume. 

On the other hand, it’s quite potentially the car that does the best job of turning attention toward this make. 

The attention-grabbing status surely elevates all the more now they’ve secured the Trophy version, the least tamed of the three levels of specification for the model. 

It has the hottest engine, the sportiest chassis, the stickiest tyres and the best brakes. Oh yes, and the most interesting exhaust note. 

The most-wanted edition is also the one that has taken an extraordinary long time to get here; it’s been in production since 2018.

There’s no explanation from Renault NZ as to why it’s just turned up now, but in all likelihood that won’t have diluted the desirability factor. 

The delay means we achieve versions with update features introduced for 2021. These include new LED headlights, altered upholstery hues, a new 9-inch portrait touchscreen and a 10-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ style digital binnacle. The Bose audio is improved and it has the latest version of Renault’s ‘Easy Link’ infotainment interface.

Trophy also has some styling enhancements to set it aside from the other RS editions, including bespoke 19-inch alloys that are lighter than standard, and it also comes with the option of racetrack-ready Recaro sports seats that are trimmed in Alcantara and can be set 20mm lower than the chairs in the other models. 

The big pull is the engine. It’s essentially the same turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol unit as the rest of the line-up, but output is upped by 15kW and 30Nm, to 220kW/420Nm. The later torque is for the dual-clutch auto model - the manual makes do with less.

Aiding responsiveness is a new bearing for the turbocharger, made from ceramic instead of steel, while the exhaust itself gets a two-mode valve in the rear silencer that can reduce back pressure and enhance the sound.

 The Megane RS Trophy's chassis is based on that of the Cup model, so it features a Torsen mechanical limited slip differential, firmer dampers, firmer springs and stiffer anti-roll bars. It has 4Control four-wheel steering, too.

Last, but certainly not least, the Trophy's front brake discs are new bi-material items measuring 355mm in diameter. These reduce 'unsprung' mass by a considerable 1.8kg per wheel, but they're also said to enhance heat dissipation, reducing the chance of brake fade when pushed to the limits on track.

Pricing? It’s $65,990 for the manual while the EDC dual-clutch auto arrives from $68,990. That compares to $59,990 for the base Megane RS 280.

The Recaro front seats cost $2900, you can also add in a sunroof for $1900.

No-one is saying anything officially, but this could be the last of the breed, for two reasons.

First Renault is looking increasingly at divesting pure fossil-fuelled powertrains for electric-assisted inclusions. They’ve already done this with the mainstream Megane, with a model touting an E-Tech plug-in system based around a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine that uses two electric motors.  

Renault claims a 48km driving range on electric power when you fully charge the 9.8kWh battery pack. 

There’s no talk of the current RS going to electric assistance, but there is potential the hatch part of the equation might yet head into history, with increasingly strong signals that the next-gen Megane will become a wholly battery-compelled crossover.

That proposal has been previewed by a low-slung SUV styling study, revealed last year, using a 60kWh battery and a 160kW electric motor with 300Nm of torque.