TheArsenale Reimagines The 4L in Collaboration With Renault

The Renault AIR4 is a real-life eVTOL flying car created by motion design hub TheArsenale to close out the 60th anniversary of the Renault 4, reimagining the iconic 4L as a carbon-fibre craft that takes off vertically on four propellers. It is not a concept or a joke: AIR4 is a fully built, flight-tested showcar that swaps wheels for thrust and lets the driver climb in by lifting the hinged Renault 4 shell.

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What is the Renault AIR4?

To conclude the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Renault 4, the brand teamed up with motion design hub TheArsenale to create a futuristic reinterpretation of the iconic model. This new version, AIR4, is the first flying French car. Not a concept nor a joke, AIR4 is a real-life eVTOL vehicle, short for Vertical Take Off and Landing.

Photo: Mathieu Cesar

Why reimagine the iconic 4L?

The Renault 4L has been around since 1961 and is still today a legend in the French car industry for its iconic design, superb quality and longevity. The car has been sold in over 100 different countries, with more than 8 million units produced. In the past sixty years a lot has changed in the world, but the Renault 4 has been there right along with it, becoming a part of French culture and history. To celebrate its sixtieth anniversary and keep this iconic car present even after 60 years, Renault, the first car brand in France, and TheArsenale decided to collaborate once more to take the R4 into the future.

Photo: Mathieu Cesar

Fly free. Experience the future of commuting and unleash your inner thrill-seeker with AIR4. A symbol of independence and freedom in carbon-fibre form, it is born of the realization that traffic is compounding and lives are grinding to a halt, while the world above us is clear. The opportunities are endless.

We embrace the notion of nostalgia meeting state-of-the-art technology, a design cocktail which, in the case of AIR4, has resulted in a truly bespoke reinterpretation of a retro icon with entirely new dynamic capabilities.

Photo: Lionel Koretzky

"After a year-long celebration we wanted to create something unconventional to close up the 60th anniversary of the 4L, highlights Arnaud Belloni, Renault Brand Global Marketing Director. This collaboration with TheArsenale was a natural fit. The flying showcar AIR4 is something unseen yet, and a wink to how this icon could look in another 60 years."

How does the AIR4 flying car work?

AIR4 is a revolution in urban mobility. It has no wheels, no problem. Instead, it features four two-blade propellers, one at each corner of the vehicle. The chassis sits in the middle of the rotor frame, and the driver can access and take a seat in the utilitarian cabin by lifting the reimagined Renault 4 shell, which is hinged at the front.

Photo: Lionel Koretzky

What are the AIR4 specifications?

From a technical standpoint, AIR4 is powered by 22,000 mAh lithium polymer batteries with a total capacity of 90,000 mAh. The vehicle has a horizontal top speed of 26 m/s, with a 45 degree inclination during flights and up to a maximum inclination of 70 degrees. It can fly as high as 700 m with a take off speed of 14 m/s, restrained to 4 m/s for safety reasons, and a landing velocity of 3 m/s. AIR4 offers a maximum vectoral thrust of 380 kilograms, that is to say 95 kg per propeller.

AIR4 was imagined, designed, engineered and assembled entirely in France, in the heart of Europe's first technology park in Sophia Antipolis, on the Cote d'Azur. The project has been covered by Vertical Mag and Robb Report.

Photo: Lionel Koretzky

"I have dedicated my life to the passion for mobility and I continually explore all aspects of the moving world, says Patrice Meignan, TheArsenale CEO. After 25 years of forward-looking research, we believe that the icons of car culture are eternal, whether on earth or in the air. For 60 years the Renault 4 has been driven by ordinary people who make it extraordinary. It is a car that symbolises adventure: simple, practical, useful and as modern as it is retro. Most drivers will tell you it allows you to travel differently and to live an adventure. This traveling different has inspired my team and I. With AIR4 by TheArsenale, the Renault 4 is ready for one of its greatest adventures yet."

Explore the AIR4 and flying machines at TheArsenale

The AIR4 is a TheArsenale original, and you can own a piece of the project through the Renault AIR4 concept art car. For more of the future of personal flight, discover the XPENG X2 eVTOL flying car, the autonomous EHang AAV passenger drone and the Atea hybrid-electric aircraft. Browse the full aero collection to take your collection skyward.