Renault 5 EV Introduced At Geneva International Auto Show, Cheap Electric Car For European Market

JAKARTA - Competition in the cheap electric car market in Europe is heating up. The increasingly widespread presence of cars from China in Europe has prompted European car manufacturers to compete to present an affordable electric car option to fill the market gap that has now been met by Chinese brands.

One of the latest steps in this competition is the launch of Renault 5 EV, a compact electric car, which was officially introduced at the Geneva International Auto Show. This car offers affordable environmentally friendly options for consumers in the European market.

The launch of Renault 5 EV was held Monday at the exhibition. Reporting from Teslarati, February 27, the car is projected to sell for about 25,000 euros (around IDR 414 million) with a range of up to 400 km, thanks to a battery option larger than the two available configurations.

The launch of Renault 5 EV is also an important moment as the debut of Ampere's first product, Renault's subsidiary, which focuses on electric vehicles.

In fact, Renault has announced plans to produce this car since 2021. They claim that the development of this car takes one year shorter than their car development cycle, which usually takes four years.

The launch of the Renault 5 EV comes at a time when many automakers are trying to present more affordable models in the future, especially compact electric cars aimed at the European urban market segment.

"This is at the heart of the fight to rebuild the European auto industry in the face of competition from the East and West," said Renault CEO Luca de Meo, ahead of the opening of the Geneva International Auto Show, as reported by Automotive News Europe.

"With this vehicle, we prove that production in Europe, especially in France, is still very likely", he added.

In addition, Renault also has plans to bring back R5 Turbo in an electric version with the concept of "3E reboot".

Renault has played an important role in popularizing electric cars in the European market through the Zoe EV model. In November last year, Nissan completed sales of about 15 percent of Renault's shares, and the French manufacturer plans to conduct an IPO (Initial Public Offering) for Ampere in the first half of this year.