No sooner have we had confirmation of the superb-looking Renault 5 E-Tech electric vehicle (EV) than there’s already a confirmed special edition of the zero-emission hatchback - say hello to the 5 E-Tech Roland Garros.
Advantage Renault
As one of the premium partners of the French Open tennis tournament since 2022, Renault is going to have a big stand at this year’s event, with the displays dedicated to the 5 E-Tech.
And from May 20 to June 9, that is where the public will get their first view of the Roland Garros special series, ahead of its arrival in showrooms next year.
The 5 E-Tech Roland Garros comes in one of four colours which aim to enhance its sporty design, these being Pearl White, Midnight Blue, Starry Black and a final, exclusive colour for this model in particular, Matt Slate Grey.
It also benefits from a chrome satin-finish roof trim for a two-tone contrast effect, helped by the textile-finished grained film main roof in Satin Black, while the 18-inch ‘Ecrou’ diamond-cut alloy wheels are rendered in glossy black with a Matt Slate Grey centre cap.
Elsewhere, there’s a Roland Garros logo on the lower section of the 5 E-Tech’s front doors, its design representing the cross of Saint Andrew, which in turn is inspired by the architecture of the stadium the tennis Grand Slam is played in.
Tennis-y touches within
Inside, the 5 E-Tech Roland Garros has special light-grey upholstery that has a graphic weave inspired by clothing from the sports world. The side bolsters are finished in blue TEP-upholstered supports, while the Roland Garros logo features on the back rests of the seats.
As the French Open is the only tennis Grand Slam played on clay, the surface inspires some of the Roland Garros’ further interior features. So there’s a ‘blue-white clay’ embroidery feature under the passenger air vent, while the smartphone induction charging mat includes red clay powder in its manufacture. Even the loop-pile carpet mats are red clay in colour so that owners will be constantly reminded of the surface in question.
Meanwhile, the e-pop gear selector has a look mimicking tennis-racket grips and, on its end, the Roland Garros logo once more, while there’s a satin metal trim strip in the dash with backlighting that spells out the words ‘Roland Garros Paris’. Finally, the brushed aluminium door sills feature the cross of St Andrew again, as well as the repeated legend ‘Roland Garros Paris’ too.
For the tournament itself, Renault is providing a fleet of 180 vehicles for logistical transportation behind the scenes. Of these, 88 per cent are electrified, made up of 70 Scenic E-Tech EVs, 30 Rafale E-Tech hybrid SUVs, 40 Espace E-Tech hybrid MPVs, and 20 Austral E-Tech hybrid crossovers.
There will also be four shuttles provided by a quarter of Renault 5s from the 1970s, all of which have been retrofitted to run on electric power by The Originals Renault - La Collection.