New Renault 4 "just weeks away" from production sign-off

So while the production-spec 4 will lose the '4Ever Trophy' concept's more rugged cues and sit slightly closer to the ground (Bhambra said: "Whatever you see in the body colour is very, very close to production"), the focus on practicality and utility will remain.

Measuring 4060mm long and with a wheelbase of 2570mm, the concept is slightly smaller than the Captur but a tad larger than the Clio. With the lack of a combustion motor up front, and with no transmission tunnel running through the cabin, it should offer an overall boost in space and functionality.

Product boss Laure Gregoire gave Autocar an idea of the differences in priority between the 4 and 5: "In the B-SUV segment, one customer out of two uses it as their main car and 50% as a second car, so you have a bigger scope of usage than on the B-hatch [Renault 5] which is more specialised.

"On this one, we need more roominess, more practicality. This is where the Renault 4 will separate itself from the 5. This is what we are working on."

The 4 will draw its power from a 42kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese battery mounted under the floor and expected to give a range of around 250 miles. It will be propelled by a 134bhp synchronous motor on the front axle, which should enable a 0-62mph time of less than 9.0sec mark. These figures will position the crossover as a rival to the Vauxhall Mokka Electric and MG ZS EV.

Renault bosses would not be drawn on the potential for more powerful or four-wheel-drive variants at this early stage, but sibling performance brand Alpine will launch a 215bhp hot version of the 5 in 2024, so a technically identical 4 would not be an impossibility.

There is also no suggestion the 4 is in line for a hydrogen-assisted powertrain, as previewed by the recent Scenic Vision concept. "Hydrogen is another topic for another project," said Gregoire, citing the company's ambition for pure-EVs to account for 65% of its sales by 2025, and 90% by 2030.

But just as important as the car itself is the way Renault will sell it. Gregoire told Autocar: "It's a new product, but it's also a new business that we have to invent, of course, to keep it as accessible and affordable as possible for the customers". She referenced the roughly 90% of cars in France that are leased and suggested that the 4 has been conceived partly with a focus on subscription services. Notably, the Renault Group's newly hived-off mobility sub-brand, Mobilize, which operates on a subscription model, is expected to account for 30% of the company's total revenues by 2030 - a push in which the 4 could play a core role.

But a headline on-the-road price of around £25,000 for private customers looks likely, based on earlier suggestions that the 4 will command a premium over the 5, which bosses are keen to launch at sub-£20k. 

The 4 will launch in 2025, following the 5 supermini in 2024, and they will sit alongside the existing hybrid line-up of the Clio and Captur which are in the same respective segments. 

New 4 not a 4x4

Underneath the Dakar-flavoured bodykit, Renault's new EV crossover is an urban-focused proposition, so the production car won't have...

A carbonfibre roof rack complete with huge spare tyre and emergency shovel

100mm-thick arch cladding on each side and 19in wheels wrapped in 30in tyres