marco van leeuwen: renault 4 remake renault 4 ever shortlisted entry

‘renault 4 remake’ by marco van leeuwen

dutch designer marco van leeuwen has created ‘renault 4 remake’, a concept car which maintains the look of the original, but permits user customization to increase utility. the project is one of 50 shortlisted from over 3200 submissions from 92 countries in designboom’s recent RENAULT 4 EVER competition, which asked participants to redesign the renault 4 with an eye towards historical lineage, contemporary aesthetics, and sustainable design.

to respect but recreate the iconic style, ‘renault 4 remake’ rearranges the old model’s lines with a subtle approach: the body’s dynamic shape reduces air resistance, and its tailgate surface is slightly offset, evidenced in the bonnet and rear wheel housing. along with LED lighting, the vehicle also features environmentally friendly recycled materials, and makes it possible for the users to choose the materials and textures they want to apply to certain parts of the car.

rear 3/4 view

front and rear views

side views

the designer explains: ‘when the customer co-creates these aspects of the car, a new form of personalized cars is born. this will release some tension on the existing design view of perfect, shiny, high-gloss automobiles: it will be a car that reflects the character of the user and create awareness of sustainability overall. a true step forwards can only be a new way of looking at products such as these.’ van leeuwen also proposes the users should be invited to travel by public transport to retrieve newly purchased cars. this way transportation of the cars is no longer necessary: the impact on the environment is minimized, and the user  develops knowledge of production processes as well as sentimental value to their vehicle.

interior

renault is proud of the results of the RENAULT 4 EVER competition and extends sincere thanks to all of its participants. the jury has still not made its final decision on winning entries, but the results will be published to designboom when their selections have been made.