Built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Renault 5 “Le Car”, Renault has revealed a reimagined, all-electric version of the little car that’s high on conceptual fashion and low on production possibilities. It’s called the Renault 5 Diamant, and it’s very different.
Different how? For starters, there’s no infotainment system, and very minimal instruments. What you have instead is basically a speaker that runs across the dash that serves as a dock for your smartphone. All the navigation, entertainment, and vehicle information is (seemingly) displayed through the phone, presumably via an app.
It’s really clever, and exactly the kind of thing that three generations of CleanTechnica writers have been asking for from their next affordable EV.
Smartphone Dock, Not “Infotainment”
Image courtesy Renault.
The exterior of the Diamant concept car, like the interior, was designed in collaboration between Renault and French designer/architect Pierre Gonalons, who, “ranks among Architectural Digest’s 100 leading creators and representative of French arts and crafts,” according to Renault.
The body of the Diamant is instantly recognizable as a Renault 5, but it’s been smoothed down from the 5’s original form, a bit like a river rock, and features “gem-like” faceted lenses for the lights. A three-layer paint job carrying metallic gold flecks over a pink base a matte-finish clear helps to finish the look, and produces visual effects ranging from gold flashes when viewed in the sunlight, and blue/bluer tones in dusk/night conditions. The Diamant’s wheels are carried over from the Alpine version of the original Renault 5.
If all this sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because you’ve been paying attention. Renault did recently launch a 5 concept reimagined as a modern EV, but that car has a real shot at production, along with different proportions more suited to modern regulations.
Renault 5 EV concept, courtesy Renault.
This Diamant concept? This is just for fun – and I love it! What do you guys think? Check out the photos, below, then let us know your take on the little electric redux in the comments.
Renault 5 Diamant Concept
Source | More Photos: Renault, via New Atlas.
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