Renault collaborates with Mathieu Lehanneur on 4L tribute
Product and architectural designer Mathieu Lehanneur works with Renault to create new concept based on iconic 4L
Renault has teamed up with the French designer Mathieu Lehanneur to reinvent the iconic 4L as a new concept car. Dubbed ‘SUITE N°4’, the concept aims to bring influences from the automotive and architecture industries together.
“SUITE N°4 opens the door to a new kind of mobility that strives to make people live experiences,” says Lehanneur. “I wanted to merge the worlds of cars and architecture to create an open-air hotel room. Even better than the finest palatial suite, the car is exactly where you want it to be, whether that’s by the sea, in the middle of a field or driving around the city you’ve always dreamed of.”
The concept has the same exterior dimensions, shape and lines as the traditional 4L, but there are some significant changes. At the front, the familiar circle headlamps and curvy bonnet are present, but the grille is replaced by a sheet of aluminium that reflects light and sits above Lehanneur’s scrolling signature.
The shape of the rear is comparable to the first 4L but consists of polycarbonate windows to create a boxy dome, which Renault describes as an “artist’s studio.” There are solar panels on the roof too, used to charge the fully electric propulsion system. And while the body work looks almost identical to that of the original, it is coated in three layers of paint to make it look like cement – a nod to the concept’s architectural influence.
Renault hasn’t yet published images of the concept’s interior, but from the images we have, it is clear the back of the car features a flat bed with cushions and pillows for seating. The dash appears to be finished in a bright yellow and seems to retain a retro shape and style. The carmaker says that the seats are finished in a thick, ribbed chenille fabric, and that there is a natural fibre floor covering in the back as well as a wooden drawer that can extend from the rear of the car to provide extra seating.
The SUITE N°4 concept car marks the 60th anniversary of the Renault 4L, which was first produced in 1961. It will be placed at the Atelier Renault on the Champs Elysée and will also be exhibited with a set design by Lehanneur at the Maison&Objet fair on the 21 January 2022 in Paris, France.