Renault unveils the Air4, a 4L steering wheel

If the career of the 4L was marked by the launch of many variations and special versions, the manufacturer had never dared to make a flying car. It’s done with the Air4, a futuristic showcar imagined and designed by the design center TheArsenale. If we easily recognize the silhouette of the vintage vehicle, the similarities end there. The Air4 does not roll, it flies. Its wheels are replaced by four arms at each corner of the vehicle, at the end of which is a propeller.

The surprise is that this giant drone flies. “It is powered by 22,000 mAh batteries making it possible to reach a maximum speed of 26 m / s with an inclination of 45 degrees during the flight”, explains the manufacturer, specifying that the Air4 can fly up to 700 meters above sea level. ‘altitude. To achieve such a feat, it was necessary to lighten the car and review some things. “The vehicle is made entirely of carbon fiber. The rigidity has been completely revised to include new concepts such as thrust or climb, which required hours of calculations and tests, ”explains Renault.

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The structure of the car has also been reworked. Moreover, this concept has no door. You enter the Air4 by tilting the body forward. To limit weight, only one person can be seated in a cabin reduced to its simplest form: no steering wheel, no pedals, no central console. There is just a small screen in the center of the dashboard and a structure with several straps as a seat.

The Air4 will be on display to the public in Paris

This showcar, imagined, designed and assembled in France, still seems a long way from the future electric 4L that Renault should launch by 2025. The idea was to present “a futuristic and offbeat reinterpretation of the 4L and to conclude the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of this model in style ”, explains the brand. Moreover, the Air4 will be exhibited in Paris from Monday, November 29 at the Renault Workshop on the Champs-Elysées, where the manufacturer is offering to rediscover certain versions of the 4L which have marked the career of this model produced at more of 8 million copies worldwide between 1961 and 1992.