To conclude the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Renault 4, the carmaker has decided to team up with the ground-defying design hub TheArsenale to create a futuristic showcar, reinterpretation of this iconic model.
Design-wise, the AIR4, a futuristic flying car concept, has resulted in a reinterpretation of the retro icon by TheArsenale, far from the modern car design language. The vehicle, entirely made of carbon fiber, maintained the same lines and contained the mass of the original 4L, yet presenting new dynamic capabilities.
The AIR4 has no wheels; instead, it features four two-blade propellers, one at each corner of the vehicle. The chassis sits in the middle of the rota frame, and the driver can access and take a seat in the utilitarian cabin of the vehicle by lifting the reimagined Renault 4 shell, which is hinged at the front.
AIR4 is powered by 22,000 mAh lithium polymère batteries with a total capacity of 90,000 mAh. The vehicle counts on a horizontal top speed of 26 m/s (93 km/h), with a 45-degree or more inclination during flights, and up to a maximum inclination of 70-degree. It can fly as high as 700 m with a take-off speed of 14 m/s (50 km/h). Last but not least, AIR4 offers a maximum vectorial thrust of 380 kilograms, that is to say, 95kg per propeller.
During the tests carried out, however, the machine hardly exceeded more than 20 m for safety reasons. This inaugural flight is only the first in a long series. Beginning 2022, AIR4 will hit the American ground in Miami and then New York before a pit stop in Macau.
“After a year-long celebration, we wanted to create something unconventional to close up the 60th anniversary of 4L,” highlights Arnaud Belloni, Renault Brand Global Marketing Director. “This collaboration with TheArsenale was a natural fit. The flying showcar AIR4 is something unseen yet and a wink to how this icon could look like in another 60 years.”
