Renault goes back in time with a fun new electric beach buggy

12 May 2026

Renault is reminding the world that electric cars can be more than just quiet tools for getting to work. At the 2026 Roland-Garros French Open, the company revealed a new concept called the Renault 4 JP4x4, a colorful mix of a small SUV and a beach buggy. It does not have a traditional roof or full doors - you might get a little wet if it rains, but you will definitely look cool driving it. This car is part of a larger plan to show how versatile the new Renault 4 platform can be for different types of drivers.

The new concept takes its style from the 1960s and 1970s, when "leisure vehicles" like the Citroën Méhari and the Mini Moke were popular for driving on the coast. Renault had its own version back then called the Plein Air and later the JP4. Those old cars were simple and fun, and this new EV tries to capture that same feeling. It is the fourth special version of the Renault 4 E-Tech electric that the company has made to show off what their engineers can do when they are allowed to play.

Renault chose Emerald Green for the JP4 - it has a pearlescent finish, and it is a modern version of green paint the company used on the original "4L" cars decades ago. To make it stand out even more, the inside is bright orange. If you are looking for a car that blends in, this is not it. The doors aren't really doors - they are very small and look like blades, but make it easy to hop in and out.

The design is all about being outdoors. There is no soft top or fabric roof to protect you from the weather. Instead, the car has a metal cross on top to keep the body from twisting. The back of the car has been hollowed out to create a small pick-up bed. This makes it perfect for carrying gear to the beach. Renault even put a surfboard on the roof and skateboards in the back to prove the point. The tailgate drops down like a real truck, making loading heavy items much easier.

Inside the cabin, the seats have a very specific look. They are called "Egyptian mummy" seats because of the way the headrests are integrated into the chair. This style was famous in Renault cars during the 1970s. There is a grab handle on the passenger side of the dashboard, which is a nice touch if the driver decides to go fast over a sand dune. The center console floats in the middle of the floor, giving everyone inside more legroom and making the whole interior feel airy.

Under the bright paint, the Renault 4 JP4x4 has some serious hardware. The concept has two motors - Renault added a second electric motor to the rear axle, giving the car permanent four-wheel drive. Having power at all four wheels makes it much better at driving on sand, stones, or unpaved paths. It shows that the small RGEV platform used for these EVs can handle more than only city streets.

The car also sits higher off the ground than the standard Renault 4 E-Tech. It has 0.59 inches of extra ground clearance, which helps it clear rocks and bumps. The wheels are also pushed out further, with the tracks being 0.39 inches wider on each side. It wears 18-inch wheels wrapped in 225/55 Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ tires designed to grip the road even when the conditions are not perfect. All of these technical changes come from a previous concept car, the Savane 4x4.

Renault is using the Roland-Garros event to show off several other electric cars, too. They brought a Twingo E-Tech and a Renault 5. There is also another version of the Renault 4 - the Plein Sud, with its folding canvas roof. The JP4x4 is just a concept for now, but the company is watching to see how people react. They might eventually build a four-wheel-drive version for regular customers if enough people say they want one.

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