The Renault 5 makes 50 years in 2022. The French carmaker decided to celebrate it in a remarkably unusual fashion by asking the designer Pierre Gonalons to turn the classic car into a jewel. Gonalons then developed the Renault 5 Diamant (Diamond, in English), an electric vehicle with a marble steering wheel – really – in a shape that resembles a pretzel.
The French Grand Antique d’Aubert marble is also used in the central storage compartment that Gonalons conceived. Curiously, Renault did not take a single picture of the interior of its jewel on wheels. Of the 16 images the French carmaker released, only 2 show aspects of the cabin. If we were Gonalons, we would be asking why we put so much effort into the interior if Renault was not willing to present it as it deserved.
Being electric sounds strange for the Renault 5 Diamant, but it may be a strategic decision. While the concept should celebrate what made this vehicle special, with the engines that allowed it to sell 5 million units, this is not a car that should be driven around – not with a marble steering wheel, at least. Yet, Renault will not keep this vehicle for itself. It will auction it and donate the money to Give Me 5, the automaker’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) project.
In that sense, giving it a small battery pack and loading it with marble will demote possible buyers from trying to demonstrate the amazing handling of the Renault 5 or their driving skills. Renault does not even talk about how far the vehicle can go because its goal must be to sit in a museum or a car collection. And that’s a strange way to celebrate an iconic car.
The best way for Renault to do that would be to put the Renault 5 EV for sale in 2022, which is not going to happen. The new nostalgic electric car is set to reach customers in 2024, or only when it will celebrate 52 years. Meanwhile, it will sell Renault 5 Diamant NFT in September and the car itself and its NFT digital twin a few weeks later. Good luck with that: GM tried to sell an NFT that included a Corvette Z06. It got no bids.
Being electric sounds strange for the Renault 5 Diamant, but it may be a strategic decision. While the concept should celebrate what made this vehicle special, with the engines that allowed it to sell 5 million units, this is not a car that should be driven around – not with a marble steering wheel, at least. Yet, Renault will not keep this vehicle for itself. It will auction it and donate the money to Give Me 5, the automaker’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) project.
In that sense, giving it a small battery pack and loading it with marble will demote possible buyers from trying to demonstrate the amazing handling of the Renault 5 or their driving skills. Renault does not even talk about how far the vehicle can go because its goal must be to sit in a museum or a car collection. And that’s a strange way to celebrate an iconic car.
The best way for Renault to do that would be to put the Renault 5 EV for sale in 2022, which is not going to happen. The new nostalgic electric car is set to reach customers in 2024, or only when it will celebrate 52 years. Meanwhile, it will sell Renault 5 Diamant NFT in September and the car itself and its NFT digital twin a few weeks later. Good luck with that: GM tried to sell an NFT that included a Corvette Z06. It got no bids.