New Renault 4 badge builds hype for retro reboot

The famous Renault 4 nameplate is set to join the reborn Renault 5 in 2023 and, to prove it, the French car-maker has been caught trademarking its new badge.

The trademark application, discovered by Auto Express, clearly reveals that Renault is readying another retro reboot that should follow in the tyre tracks of the production version of the Renault 5 Prototype.

While city-slicking urbanites will be attracted to the chic styling of the Renault 5, the 2023 Renault 4 is expected to offer far more space and practicality and, importantly, come with five doors.

This is on top of plenty of stylistic inspiration from the original.

Expected to cost less than the Renault 5, it's thought the 4 will ape the original and have a jacked-up ride height that could see it reinterpreted into more of an SUV or crossover.

As well as a passenger vehicle, the Renault 4 is likely to spawn a delivery van version, with a concept for the Renault 4 van set to be unveiled in November to coincide with the nameplate's 60th birthday.

Beneath the skin, the Renault 4 will sit on the same CMF-B platform as the new 5 and share its electric powertrains.

Originally created as a direct rival to the Citroen 2CV, the Renault 4 went into production and somehow was still being built at a plant in Slovenia in 1994.

Over its 33-year reign, the 4 was assembled at an incredible 17 factories around the world, including Renault's Heidelberg factory in Victoria, where it was built from 1962-1966.

Globally, more than eight million were made, with the 4 winning a reputation for its toughness, decent ride and load-carrying abilities.