Q&agilles vidal, design director, renault

THE RENAULT 5 has reached production largely unchanged from the concept car of 2021, much to the delight of its designer, Gilles Vidal.

The Frenchman has now turned his attention to the 4 – which he also confirmed will make production largely unchanged in an exclusive interview at Geneva.

Why go retro for the 5?

“In 1972, when we first did the 5, it made a lot of sense, being created in the oil crisis. Today, we need to create accessible small electric cars. Because of its popular heritage, the 5 makes a lot of sense for a small EV for today and tomorrow. Not every car in history has the same potential after 50 years, but this resonates nicely, and it just felt right to do. But it’s not trying to be vintage. In fact, it’s trying to be from the future. That’s the trick with the design execution: the way you craft it to make it more futuristic.”

Did you take any inspiration from the relaunch of Mini?

“I haven’t been involved in a project like this myself in my career, but you do look at the other two obvious examples, the Mini and the Fiat 500, do an analysis and work out what they did well. It doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way, though, and we tried to find our own path into making it the best balance between ingredients from the past and treatment that could then be futuristic.”

Does the original 5 have relevance to today’s buyers?

“That’s exactly the idea when we say we want to be retro-futuristic. For those who had a 5, or their parents did, it’s a nice memory; it will resonate, consciously or unconsciously. But for younger generat