It’s a car model that almost all French people have heard of. The Renault R5, whose return was announced since January 2021, arrived on French roads a few weeks ago. The highly anticipated – and publicized – yellow “pop” electric city car hit dealerships in mid-October. In less than three months, just under 10,000 copies have been sold. In November and December, the new spearhead of the Losange sold even better than Tesla’s Model Y, the most registered electric vehicle in France in 2023 and 2024. Proof of a flying start? Not so fast!
It is too early to know if the vehicle will become Renault’s new best-seller. Traditionally, during a launch, the sales figures for the first months of marketing are artificially inflated by the purchases of demonstration vehicles by dealers, who want to introduce the product to their customers. Renault is pleased with a good start to sales, but does not detail the percentage acquired by its network, nor the state of its order book.
Made in Douai
“The R5 is probably the best launch in decades, which has been the subject of almost unanimous praise from the press and analysts,” praised Luca de Meo to the press in October from the Douai Manufacture (North), where the small electric car is assembled. The boss of Losange is playing big with this model, among other things because he is personally very invested in the promotion.
And on advertising for which the Renault group has spent heavily, both on billboards and on television. The R5, a figure of Renault’s rebirth after the fall of Carlos Ghosn, was even entitled to its myriad of derivative products: mug, key ring, cap, sock, coffee machine… So many objects designed around the new flagship of the Losange, intended to make an impression.
100 to 120,000 units per year
The success of the R5, only available with a battery electric engine, will be an important indicator of Renault’s ability to project itself into the era of “wattage”. This small model is promised by Renault to large production volumes: between 100,000 and 120,000 vehicles per year. This clearly displays the ambitions.
But we will have to do better than with the Megane e-Tech, which did not keep all of its promises. Renault hoped to manufacture 100,000 units per year. Alas, the model, although generally appreciated by critics and customers, has not found its audience since its commercial launch in March 2022. In 2023, only 44,590 units were assembled.
We will have to continue to monitor sales of the R5, particularly in the spring, to find out if the dynamic continues. The entry-level version of the R5, called “Five”, is expected in April. Equipped with a power of only 95 horsepower for 300 kilometers of autonomy, this R5 – lacking fast charging capacity or rims – will certainly be less glamorous, but will have the virtue of being less expensive: it is promised from 25,000 euros, excluding the deduction of the ecological bonus which has just been drastically cut by the government. Enough to make the R5 the popular car of 2025?
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
