Renault and TheArsenale unveil the AIR4 flying car

2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the Renault 4L, a car that has sold over 8 million units in over 100 countries during its production lifetime of more than 3 decades. The Renault 4L is much more than just a car. It’s a true automobile icon.

To honor its 60th anniversary, Renault has been holding a year of celebrations consisting of several initiatives. To wrap up the anniversary’s festivities, the French automaker decided to collaborate with the ground-defying design hub, TheArsenale, to create a concept car that gives a futuristic and offbeat reinterpretation of the 4L.

The original Renault 4L was a simple, versatile, and efficient vehicle built from 1961 to 1992. 

Renault has partnered with TheArsenale to reinterpret the retro icon, far from the modern car design language. The vehicle is entirely made of carbon fiber and maintains the same lines and contained mass of the original 4L, yet presenting new dynamic capabilities. The frame's rigidity has been completely revised to include new concepts such as thrust or lift, which required hours of calculations and testing.

To drive around, the Renault AIR4 has no wheels. Instead, the vehicle features four two-blade propellers, one at each corner of the car. The AIR4 is powered by 22,00mAh lithium polymer batteries that generate a total power output of 90,000mAh. The vehicle can fly as high as 700m with a takeoff speed of 14m/s. The AIR4 offers a maximum vectorial thrust of 380kg, which is 95kg per propeller.