Renault AIR4: the Renault 4L transformed into a flying drone

To mark 60 years of the Renault 4L, the French brand worked with design centre TheArsenale to develop a futuristic prototype that recasts the iconic model as a drone capable of carrying one person.

That is right. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 4L - a car that sold more than eight million units worldwide - Renault has been staging a range of initiatives throughout the year to commemorate the landmark.

This was how we first encountered the Suite N°4, a prototype that turned the Renault 4L into a kind of hotel on wheels. Renault has now taken the idea a step further by turning it into a drone.

Simple, practical and versatile, the original Renault 4L was described by former Renault Group President Pierre Dreyfus as "a pair of jeans". Yet even Renault’s boss at the time is unlikely to have imagined that this model’s versatility would one day allow it to… fly.

Renault AIR4: cleared for take-off

"After a year of celebrations, we wanted to create something unconventional to close the 4L's 60th anniversary," says Arnaud Belloni, Global Marketing Director for the Renault brand.

"This collaboration with TheArsenale came about naturally. The AIR4 flying car prototype is something never seen before, and a nod to what this icon could become in another 60 years," he adds.

Made entirely from carbon fibre, the AIR4 is a modern interpretation of the original 4L’s styling, even retaining the dimensions of the original model. Its rigidity has, however, been completely reworked to accommodate new concepts such as thrust and lift, requiring hours of calculations and testing.

Using generative design methods that harness artificial intelligence, TheArsenale’s engineers examined terabytes of data to refine and improve the designers’ concepts before the first real-world trials even began.

How does it work?

As a drone, the AIR4 has no wheels for moving around. Instead, it uses four two-bladed propellers, with one positioned at each corner of the vehicle. The chassis sits centrally within the frame, which also houses the rotors, while the driver enters and takes a seat in the cabin by lifting the reimagined Renault 4 body shell, hinged at the front.

Technically, the AIR4 uses 22,000 mAh lithium-polymer batteries, producing a total output of 90,000 mAh. These figures enable it to reach a maximum horizontal speed of 26 m/s, approximately 93.6 km/h.

With maximum vector thrust of 380 kg, or 95 kg per propeller, the AIR4 can also fly at altitudes of up to 700 metres.

Heading to the Champs-Élysées in Paris

Unveiled digitally this Friday (26 November), the AIR4 will be on public display from next Monday until the end of the year at L’Atelier Renault (pictured below) on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, alongside other historic versions of the 4L.

From 2022, the AIR4 will travel to the United States, appearing in Miami before moving on to New York, with a brief stop in Macau also planned.