A decision on whether the Renault 4 Savane 4x4 concept car will make production will be taken within the coming weeks.
Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive said he “would be pushing” for the four-wheel-drive model to make production as one of the “cherries on top of the cake” of Renault’s new range of small EVs.
Speaking at the Car of the Year 2026 final event in Barcelona, Cambolive said the Savane would also extend the market appeal of the 4 in certain Northern European countries where 4WD is more desirable.
The 4x4 adopts an additional electric motor to power the rear axle, rather than having a traditional 4WD system.
The only delay on the decision to date had been one of making strategic priorities, Cambolive said.
The 4 follows the Renault 5 and comes to market ahead of the new Renault Twingo as one of a trio of retro EVs inspired by some of Renault’s past icons.
However, Cambolive said “retro was not a rule” for Renault in its future models and its next-generation models in higher segments will all be much more forward-looking and not play to the past.
“This recipe [retro] is very interesting when the packaging and dimensions are good to do that. And for the Renault 5, it gives a capacity to do emotion while being capable, and to convince people who are hesitating [about going electric]. But it is not a rule by itself. It's a rule when it’s worth it for customers, but we don’t play to that as a rule. You will see cars from us that are totally different from the past.”
More broadly, Cambolive said Renault’s overall guiding principle remained “joie de vieve” - French for 'the joy of living' - and it had “125 years of values” to draw upon, not just a series of smaller models from its more recent past.
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