French automaker Renault is moving forward with a new-age version of its 5 city car. The last version of the Renault 5 – which was sold in the U.S. under the Le Car nameplate – was produced until 1984, and the second generation of the 5 went out of production in 1996.
The next-generation 5 will slot above the Twingo in the Renault lineup and could share its underpinning with the next Clio. The car will reportedly debut later this year at the Paris Motor Show and could be on sale by 2014.
“We’re seriously thinking about bringing back the Renault 5 to underpin the Clio,” a Renault sourced confirmed to Autocar. “For it to be a credible car it would have to offer more than a Twingo. That would mean it wouldn’t have to just be good dynamically, but would have to introduce a notion of the revolution that the 5 brought to the market in 1972, both in terms of technology and positioning.”
The new 5 is expected to have some retro styling cues, but will feature some forward-thinking design elements as well. Some of the car’s original looks – including its rectangular headlights and slender grille – will make it onto the new car.
Renault recently stated that it has no plans to return to the United States, so we don’t expect to see a Le Car version of the 5 anytime soon.
References
1.’Reborn Renault 5…’ view
