Renault has strongly hinted that the new 4 crossover will gain a 4×4 variant with the unveiling of a new off-road-influenced concept called the Savane.
Reprising the name of an adventure-themed variant of the original Renault 4, this new concept rides 15mm higher than the standard car, features bespoke utility-style wheels wrapped in grippy Goodyear tyres, and is decked out inside with ‘deep brown’ textiled fabrics.
It also has widened tracks and contrasting black body cladding in a nod to its enhanced off-road potential.
But more importantly – as signalled by the bespoke 4×4 badging – the Savane is most obviously differentiated from the standard front-wheel-drive car by the addition of a second motor on the rear axle, to give permanent four-wheel drive.
Renault has not given any technical details, but the FWD car comes with either a 118bhp or 148bhp motor, so if the 4×4 has another one of them at the back, it could produce somewhere in the region of 300bhp – which would give it comparable performance to the twin-motor Skoda Elroq vRS.
Renault has not officially stated its plans to introduce an AWD 4, but the Savane concept shows that its Ampr Small architecture can accommodate a dual-motor set-up, which the firm says shows the potential “to create a B-segment electric vehicle with four-wheel drive”.
A Renault spokesperson told Autocar that the firm is “currently studying the technical feasibility and the financial equation”, but added: “We can’t confirm anything yet about the arrival of a production 4×4.“
If it reaches showrooms, the 4 4×4 will be among the smallest electric cars available with a twin-motor powertrain.