autoevolution
 

New Renault 5 EV Is Unlikely to Spawn Cabrio Variant, but There Is a Precedent

Earlier this year, Renault unveiled a modern, fully electric version of a car that used to be extremely popular in Europe several decades ago. We’re talking about the Renault 5, whose 21st-century doppelganger will be powered entirely by electricity once it goes into production at the very same plant where the original used to get made.
Renault 5 EV Cabriolet rendering 7 photos
Photo: Reichel Car Design
Renault 5 EV Cabriolet renderingEBS Renault 5 GTR CabrioletEBS Renault 5 GTR CabrioletEBS Renault 5 GTR CabrioletEBS Renault 5 GTR CabrioletEBS Renault 5 GTR Cabriolet
The series-production version should arrive sometime before 2025, and rumors of an Alpine variant have also been making the rounds. It’s too early to talk about specs, though, and we certainly wouldn’t dream of holding our breath collectively for a convertible version of the Renault 5 EV. However, there is precedent for one.

Does anybody remember the EBS Renault 5 Cabriolet? Also known as the Renault 5 Supercabrio, it was manufactured by Belgian coachbuilder EBS (Ernst Berg Systems) with Renault’s blessings. It came very close to going into production before the French carmaker decided to kill the project due to delays and poor built quality.

EBS didn’t let a small thing like that stop them in their tracks and decided to convert existing Renault 5 models into convertibles, with production kicking off in the summer of 1987. According to Ernst Berg himself, a total of 1,800 convertibles were built, as per his autobiography.

Those cars were pretty simple to convert into drop-tops, seeing as there was no need for any brand-new body parts such as doors, fenders, or a tailgate. The result was an extremely trendy little convertible, the likes of which we would surely appreciate even today.

Speaking of current times, we really like what Berhard Reichel did with this rendering, taking the Renault 5 EV concept, slicing the roof off, and making it look production ready. In a way, a convertible version would sort of defeat the purpose of having the 5 EV be as budget-friendly as possible, but it would surely be extremely cool.

Renault already confirmed that the next 5 would cost even less than the Zoe, which is quite exciting. That said, some people would probably be willing to pay more for a convertible variant, but first there must be enough demand. Let’s hope we get there.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories