French automobile company Renault unveiled a new electric vehicle (EV) on February 26, and its Scenic model received the Car of the Year award at the first Geneva auto show since 2019, bolstering the automaker’s electrification plans.
The grand event took place at the Geneva International Motor Show, which had been postponed for nearly five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Reuters, Renault is the only European automaker to attend this year’s industry gala, as Volkswagen and Stellantis, which owns Peugeot and Fiat, have decided to skip it.
The Renault Scenic, a popular electric Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) among families, won the coveted Car of the Year award, the French manufacturer’s first since 2006. It narrowly defeated the BMW 5 Series sedan to win the title, which was decided by a panel of 58 European auto journalists, Reuters added.
The first deliveries of Renault’s electric Scenic model are scheduled to start in the coming months after the model was introduced in late 2023. In Geneva, the company unveiled a lithium-ion battery version of its popular R5 hatchback model, aiming to be a fully electric brand in Europe by 2030.
“This car is about Renault projecting itself into the future and taking millions of Europeans with us on the journey of energy transition,” Renault CEO Luca de Meo spoke as two flashy yellow R5 models were introduced on stage at the auto show. Speaking to the media after unveiling Renault’s highly anticipated new electric R5, he insisted Europe’s auto industry was “up for the challenge.”
The new version, which features vertical tail lights, bright colours, and a spoiler, combines the original designs from the 1972 model with those from the turbo R5, which has won racing competitions. To represent Renault’s electric shift, the original car’s vent grille was replaced with a charge indicator in the shape of a 5.
The company now hopes that the new R5 will provide it with another boost after returning to profitability in 2023 as a result of high-end vehicle sales and price increases.
Meanwhile, Renault made a net profit of 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) in 2023 after suffering significant losses in 2022 due to the write-off of Russian assets. In addition, the base price for the R5 will be around 25,000 euros (approximately Rs 22 lakhs).
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