Renault 5 Diamant: Striking photos show an EV redesign of the iconic car

Renault’s iconic model Renault 5 celebrates its 50th anniversary with a new design, Renault 5 Diamant, the company announced in a press release.

The French automaker Renault sold more than 5 million units of its pop-culture symbol in multiple countries between 1972 and 1984.

Now the iconic model is redesigned as an electric vehicle and called Renault 5 Diamant, with the company’s collaboration with French designer Pierre Gonalons.

Gonalons is a prominent designer who ranks among Architectural Digest’s 100 leading creators and representative of French arts and crafts.

While Renault 5 Diamant will be an electric-powered show car, it captures the designer’s vision of the future car, combining automotive and interior decoration hallmarks.

“I am honored by Renault’s invitation to reinvent the mythical Renault 5 for its 50th anniversary. The brand gave me free rein to design my dream car,” says Pierre Gonalons. “What I wanted to do with Renault 5 Diamant was pay tribute to its revolutionary design and at the same time transfer the shapes and colors in my universe to the automotive world.”

Gonalons says his inspiration came from the decorative arts, especially fine jewelry, which you can see in several delicate and innovative details in the vehicle. 

François Farion, Renault Colours & Trims Director, pointed out, “Pierre Gonalons’ and his team’s creative universe and personalities rank them among France’s finest artisans. The result is trailblazing, and the details are very elaborate. For me, Renault 5 Diamant is an emotional jolt more than anything else: the outside hues give the car a naïf and, at the same time, sophisticated look. Pierre pays a lot of attention to detail. He is extremely sensitive to the references and meaning in each element.”

The design

The exterior color is a combination of three layers of paint: golden pigments on a pink base, covered with frosted varnish producing a wide variety of effects ranging from golden dashes in the sunshine to bluer tones in the dark.

The interior of the vehicle is eminently lean. Tapping into expertise from Renault Design and the artisans involved in this project, Pierre Gonalons simplified the car by keeping only a handful of particular items. 

The most unique part of REnaukt 5 Diamant is its steering wheel, which is marble on carbon, and its unique shape does not make it any less driver-friendly. 

Pierre Gonalons told IE that, “This steering wheel crystallizes a free movement through spaces. It references the newly found impression of liberty that comes with owning a car for the very first time, as was often the case with R5 owners. I also wanted to bring a touch of surrealism associated with one of my favorite material".

Besides being all-electric, Renault 5 Diamant comes with a fingerprint scanner to unlock the doors, it features a three-position sequential shift lever (forward, neutral, reverse). 

Diamant’s round digital dials, which pay tribute to the art of clockmaking, provide the essential information: speed, battery charge, and time. The navigation and infotainment can be conveniently supplied by the owner’s smartphone, which fits in a dedicated cradle in the middle of the dashboard.

Several artisans who work with Pierre Gonalons on a regular basis also pooled their expertise on Renault 5 Diamant. Specifically, its steering wheel and storage compartment are made of French Grand Antique d’Aubert marble recycled by Minéral Expertise and cast into tubes to make it lighter and more malleable.

NFT and auction

Renault has also decided to venture into the NFT universe. The company will once again collaborate with Gonalons and develop an extensive collection of NFTs inspired by Renault 5 Diamant that will be unveiled in September.

Renault 5 Diamant will be auctioned a few weeks later with its NFT digital twin. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to Give Me 5, Renault’s new CSR project to reach out to young generations through sport and music.