A new petrol Renault 5 is never going to happen, and here’s why…
The reborn Renault 4 and Twingo are only ever going to be electric as well
Auto Express has been told, definitively, that there is zero chance of a petrol-powered version of the best-selling Renault 5. Or any of Renault’s retro-inspired small cars for that matter.
The reborn Renault 5, Renault 4 and the new Renault Twingo that’s just been revealed are all electric and share the same AmpR Small platform that was designed exclusively for EVs.
However, it seemed possible that the French firm could squeeze a petrol engine into at least one of its blasts from the past after Horse Powertrain – a joint venture owned by Renault and Chinese conglomerate Geely – unveiled a drop-in range-extender set-up that could be retrofitted into EVs.
The ‘Horse C15’ is an all-in-one unit, about the same size as a briefcase, that includes a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, an electric motor, inverter, transmission and other key drivetrain components.
As with all range-extenders, the combustion engine never drives the wheels, it’s solely to generate energy for the car’s e-motors and battery pack. Thereby offering the “smoothness and responsiveness” of an electric car, plus the flexibility of a plug-in hybrid.
Auto Express recently learned that the next-generation Renault Megane is set to feature range-extender hybrid power, as the brand is looking to offer more freedom of choice in its bigger cars.
The purpose of the C15 is to allow “automakers to hybridise BEV platforms to meet changing customer demand, as well as eliminating the need for multiple platforms and production lines”. Which raises the question, is it possible to put this set-up in Renault’s ‘three musketeers’.
We asked Vittorio d'Arienzo, the man in charge of Renault’s EVs, during an exclusive interview, to which he quickly and firmly responded: “Not at all.”
He explained: “When you make a choice like we did, which is very strong, to give the designers complete freedom on the platform, what you end up is you're having cars with a super-short front overhang, super-short wheel overhang and big tyres, and this is to achieve good track and good roominess.
“Imagine what it would be like to put in those cars even a very bad two-cylinder engine, a la what BMW took from a motorcycle [for the i3 range-extender] where they put it in the trunk with the exhaust, with the cooling, with the tank. You're going to destroy the car. It doesn't work.”
So if it’s a petrol-powered supermini you’re after, the Renault Clio is the brand’s only (but still excellent) option, and you can save nearly £4,000 on one with the Auto Express Buy A Car service. The new sixth-generation Clio is expected to arrive in the UK in 2027.
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