Anniversary in the air: Renault 4 returned ahead of schedule as an air car
The classic Renault 4 (known in France as the Renault 4L – Quatrelle) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and today’s Air4 flying version is the final agreement for a number of special projects and events to celebrate this anniversary.
The first generation Renault 4, produced from 1961 to 1994 alongside the VW Beetle/Käfer, Citroen 2CV and the classic Mini, became one of the symbols of mass motorization in Europe, with over 8 million units produced. Earlier this year it was reported that Renault would revive the 4 as an electric crossover: its design has already been declassified in patent images, but series production will only start in 2025, while it is officially confirmed that the new Renault 4 will also be offered in a heel format with a characteristic step between the cab and the body.
In view of the imminent return of Renault 4 to the market, the press service of the French house will periodically recall this model so that by the time the successor debuts, the public will be adequately warmed up and the 40th anniversary will become a holiday. A good occasion for various special projects on the theme of the classic version. The most interesting, of course, is the Air4: the French movement design center TheArsenale created a "four" flying wheels for Renault in just 6 months.
The body of the Air4, in which the pilot is located (there are no seats for passengers), only superficially resembles the classic Renault 4, but in fact it is a carbon body without doors mounted on the chassis. To sit in the driver’s seat, you need to lean forward completely. The aircraft rests on the ground with four oscillating supports.
Despite a very short development period, the Renault Air4 flies, although the YouTube promo essentially only shows takeoffs and landings. The Arsenale website honestly says that the current flight altitude is only 15 meters, the theoretical one is 700 meters.
The propulsion system is, of course, electric: a 90,000 mAh lithium polymer battery powers the electric motors that drive four carbon two-blade propellers. The capacity of the plant was not disclosed. Cruising speed around 90 km/h.
Until the end of the year, the aircar will be on display at the Renault atelier on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, along with other unusual versions of the Renault 4, before touring Miami, New York and Macau.
Renault has no plans to develop a production version of the Air4 – it is too tedious and expensive, and the design of the classic commercial flying car "quattro" is not very suitable yet – other flight aerodynamics are needed, such as, for example, in la Xpeng air car, a Chinese startup that promised to start mass production in 2024.