The first prototypes of the Renault 5 are already being manufactured at the brand's secret factory

The Renault 5 is almost ready to move into production but, before that, it has to go through several tests. The key point is that the prototype must overcome the technological challenges it faces. To do so, work must be carried out with test models and the necessary tests performed so that, when it reaches production, the model presents no problems and everything works correctly.

In this case, the Renault 5 is being designed and developed at the Prototype Production Centre of Renault. This centre is located in the heart of the brand’s Technocentre, near Paris. It is a facility that recreates one of the brand’s major plants, with all its resources, but designed on a small scale, solely to build the prototypes that will later move on to those plants.

Moreover, it is a plant where secrecy is guaranteed. Not only is access with mobile phones not permitted, but all employees are registered and no one can enter the premises without the appropriate authorisation. Everything that happens in this miniature plant forms part of the new model development process, so leaks of any kind must be avoided.

The electric Renault 5, ready to be produced

The first units of all Renault models are built in these facilities, and the Renault 5 is no exception. The first step is to design the mules, which are the first prototypes of each model. These do not necessarily have the definitive bodywork; it is enough that they have the technical characteristics of each model. On these vehicles, the first modifications and adjustments are made, which then pass on to the next phase of the model.

In the case of the Renault 5, it underwent testing in the form of a mule with a Renault Clio bodyshell. Once these first tests were passed, the vehicle became a vehicle check. These already have a shape very similar to that of the final car, although they are fitted with camouflage that makes it impossible to discover the details of the bodywork.

With these test vehicles, all the technology that makes it a reliable and very attractive vehicle to drive is fine-tuned. From that moment on, the cars begin to be tested on the roads of several countries, under real driving conditions, and subjected to fairly demanding situations as well.

The electric Renault 5 has already been seen at this stage and, as soon as the testing process is complete, it will move on to the production phase at the Douai plant, in the north of France. Then we will finally have the chance to see the return of this classic in an electrified form.