Rugged Renault 4Ever Trophy Concept EV Debuts at Paris Motor Show

French automaker Renault unveiled a rugged, rally-ready 4Ever Trophy electric concept this week at the 2022 Paris Motor Show . Loaded up with overlanding gear and flexing beefy off-road hardware, the concept previews a revival of the compact Renault 4 compact station wagon as an electric SUV.

Renault produced over 8 million examples of the Renault 4 (also known as the 4L) between 1961 and 1992. The 4Ever Trophy's design pays homage to the "Quatrelle" in subtle ways. 

The two-box silhouette is a modern take on the 4L's chunky shape and features the model's hallmark angled rear end and trapezoidal side windows. Up front, the 4L's round headlamps are reimagined as segmented LED matrix lights and are still sunken into the fascia's lozenge-shaped grille, which now feeds into an aerodynamic channel cut into the SUV's hood. Around back, vertical protruding tail lights also get the modern, LED treatment.

Renault 4 Revival Previewed With Rugged 4Ever Trophy Concept

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Mostly, though, the 4Ever looks like a clean-slate design, particularly below the belt where the electric SUV gets a heavy off-road overhaul starting with its oversized 19-inch wheels and 30-inch tires. Each tire has an integrated compressor that enables the pressure at each corner to be adjusted on the fly from the cabin. The lifted suspension has plenty of room to articulate, thanks to flared wheel arches with just shy of 8 inches of clearance around each tire. The 4Ever Trophy also features a reinforced underbelly to protect its battery pack in the event the generous suspension travel and ground clearance is exceeded.

Completing the adventure-ready aesthetic are tie-down points atop the front fenders, a full-size spare tire atop the carbon-fiber roof and a shovel and traction boards mounted to the rear door with bright magenta straps. Of course, no good concept is complete without super low-profile rear view cameras rather than wing mirrors.

In addition to celebrating the classic 4L, the 4Ever Trophy also previews  a revival of the Renault 4 nameplate as an electric car. Range and performance numbers are nonexistent this early in the game, but the new B-segment compact SUV will be built on the CMF-BEV platform that also underpins the new Renault 5. Also, like the Renault 5, your chances of blasting along American trails in a Renault 4 EV outfitted like the 4Ever Trophy are pretty much nil.