In the September issue, Renault UK managing director Adam Wood sits down with EV Powered’s George East to explain why it’s all going so right. His answer has less to do with spec sheets than with soul.
“You simply cannot buy over 120 years’ worth of history, and you certainly can’t buy the connections and emotions we’ve built with people and wider society over time,” he says. “I meet so many owners who’ve owned an original Renault 5 who’ve now come and bought the new one. It’s just brilliant to hear the stories, to share the photographs, and to share the childhood memories.”
That heritage, Wood argues, is the one thing the wave of newcomers arriving from China cannot match, however many toys they promise for the money. But he is adamant Renault will not raid its back catalogue simply to shift a few cars, and the interview draws a sharp contrast with Ford, whose revived Capri prompted a brutal backlash. There is a delicious irony in the fact that the Blue Oval’s European rethink now involves a tie-up with Renault to build a new Fiesta.
“We don’t have a blanket strategy to simply revive our heritage nameplates or icons of the past without there being any real modern relevance,” Wood explains. “Is there a demand for joyful, fun, accessible electric mobility? Absolutely yes, so what better car than the R5?”
The conversation then turns to what comes next, and it is quite a list. Renault plans 12 electric-only models in Europe by 2030, including a new Twingo and a new electric Clio arriving early next year. Underpinning the push is the firm’s RGEV Medium 2.0 platform, which Wood describes in terms that should make the premium brands wince.
“It’s 800-volt architecture,” he says. “So, we’re talking about electric ranges up to around 800 kilometres (500 miles) alongside the introduction of range extender (REX) technology, which takes us up to about 1,400km (870 miles).” Throw in a 10-80% charge within 10 minutes and, as Wood puts it, range anxiety becomes a thing of the past.
Then there is the question to delight anyone who grew up in the back of a French people carrier: could the Espace come back? With electric MPVs suddenly everywhere, from the Volkswagen ID Buzz and Ford E-Tourneo to the Kia PV5, and with Hyundai’s Staria due here by the end of 2026, Wood doesn’t rule it out.
“We certainly wouldn’t say no, but when we rejuvenate or revive iconic names of the past, it has to have modern relevance,” he says. “Our plan is to bring accessible, joyful, practical, ubiquitous electric ability for people, and that’s a real need of today.”
Accessible, joyful, practical? That is more or less the original Espace’s job description. The Matra-built 1984 original became a hit with British and European buyers before the SUV boom killed the breed off, and the nameplate was withdrawn from UK sale back in 2012.
The full four-page interview also covers the ‘Renaulution’ plan that sparked the brand’s revival, why cars “should bring a smile”, and why a little French flair might be the real differentiator once every car on sale is electric. Watch this space, indeed.
To read the full article go to page 10 of the page-flip September issue.
