Renault Höga, the flat-pack car that could be sold at Ikea

Stores like Ikea have accustomed us to buying flat-pack furniture and being the ones who roll up our sleeves and assemble it at home. A system that encourages practical and affordable furniture. So, why not apply this concept to an electric car? It would basically be an electric car sold flat-packed that could be comfortably assembled at home. Well, in this case, in the garden or the garage.

The Renault Höga is precisely that concept, although it is not a “real” car. This electric vehicle is the design exercise of a design student, Ryan Scholtthauer, a student at the College for Creative Studies. But be warned. Although it is a design exercise, it is intended to become reality if necessary, since every single element that shapes it has been designed, so it could be produced without too many problems.

An exercise that could become reality

The Renault Höga is made up of 374 parts, some of which have a dual function. The packaging includes all the parts, the tools needed for assembly and the inevitable instruction leaflet, which becomes essential. Assembly time would be just a few hours, depending, of course, on the assembler’s dexterity.

Its look is somewhat reminiscent of the Citroën AMI, which has just gone on sale in Spain, although it is a bit more compact. To access the interior, the front section opens, just as with the BMW Isetta. In this case, and unlike the German model, opening the front door would also lift the steering.

The interior is very simple and has only the steering wheel and a holder for the tablet or phone. As you can imagine, this city model would not have much range or power. This would make it an ideal vehicle for urban environments or for moving around enclosed areas, such as factories.

As for the price, since it is a conceptual model that has not taken physical form, it cannot be calculated reliably. But the creator has set a price of around 6,500 dollars, which amounts to about 5,320 euros. It is not very cheap, but who knows whether, when it goes into production, its cost could be reduced. For now, it remains among the pile of projects, but it would not be a bad idea for Renault to give it a chance, to see whether this concept of a flat-pack car could prove useful.

https://youtu.be/X6U2v7i3yDs