To conclude the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the iconic Renault 4, the French car maker has teamed up with motion design hub TheArsenale to create the AIR4, a futuristic version of the 4L that can fly. The AIR4 features four two-blade propellers, one at each corner of the vehicle.
The body sits in the middle of the rota frame, with the driver gaining access to the cabin by lifting the front-hinged shell.
The futuristic show-car is powered by 22,000mAh lithium-polymer batteries that generate a total power of around 90,000mAh, enough for a horizontal top speed of 26m/s, with a 45° inclination during flights, up to a maximum inclination of 70°.
It can fly as high as 700m with a take-off speed of 14m/s, although this is restricted to 4m/s for safety reasons, with a landing velocity of 3m/s. Its propellers generate 95kg of vertical thrust each for a total of 380kg.
The AIR4 has been imagined, designed, engineered and assembled entirely in France, in the heart of Europe’s first technology park in Sophia Antipolis, on the Côte d’Azur.
Arnaud Belloni, Renault Brand Global Marketing Director, says: “After a year-long celebration we wanted to create something unconventional to close up the 60th anniversary of 4L,”. This collaboration with TheArsenale was a natural fit. The flying show-car AIR4 is something unseen and a wink to how this icon could look like in another 60 years.”
Patrice Meignan, CEO and Founder of TheArsenale, adds: “After 25 years of forward-looking research, we believe that the icons of car culture are eternal, whether on earth or in the air. For 60 years, the Renault 4 has been driven by ordinary people who make it extraordinary. It is a car that symbolises adventure: simple, practical, useful and as modern as it is retro. Most drivers will tell you, it allows you to travel differently and to live an adventure. This ‘travelling different’ has inspired my team and I. With AIR4 by TheArsenale, the Renault 4 is ready for its greatest adventure yet.”
The AIR4 will go on public display in the centre of Paris at the Atelier Renault on the Champs Elysées until the end of the year, alongside other historic versions of the Renault 4.
In 2022, the AIR4 will travel to Miami and then New York, before a pit stop in Macau.
An automotive design icon, the Renault 4L sold over 8 million units across more than 100 countries over a production lifetime that spanned more than 30 years, and to celebrate, Renault has been holding a year of celebrations and initiatives.
