Renault 4 JP4x4 Turns the Electric Renault 4 Into a Dual-Motor Beach Buggy

The Renault 4 JP4x4 takes the production Renault 4 E-Tech electric and gives it the hardware Renault owners have wanted since the revived 4 arrived: rear-axle electric drive, higher ground clearance, wider tracks, open-air bodywork, and beach-ready packaging. It remains a concept, but the engineering message feels serious.

Image

What Is the Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept?

The Renault 4 JP4x4 concept made its public debut around the 2026 Roland-Garros French Open as Renault's latest concept based on the Renault 4 electric. The idea draws from the original Renault 4 Plein Air from 1969 and the Renault 4 JP4 from 1981, but the hardware sits firmly in modern EV territory.

Renault kept the nostalgic beach-car flavor, then added a second electric motor on the rear axle. That changes the car from a front-drive urban EV into a dual-motor electric 4x4 concept designed for sand, gravel, and light off-road use. In plain terms, this concept answers a simple question: what happens when Renault makes the reborn 4 less precious and more useful?

Image

Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept Specs

Looking at the data, Renault did not turn the JP4x4 into a lifted monster. The changes stay measured. That matters because small EVs lose efficiency quickly when weight, tire width, and aerodynamic drag rise too far.

Specifically, the extra rear motor gives the Renault 4 electric 4x4 traction where a front-drive EV would start spinning its front tires. Sand punishes nose-heavy cars because the front tires must steer and pull at the same time. A rear motor shares that load and lets the car push itself forward with better balance.

How Does the Dual-Motor 4x4 System Help on Sand?

A second electric motor on the rear axle gives the Renault 4 JP4x4 electric car instant rear-wheel torque without a driveshaft, transfer case, or mechanical center differential. That setup suits a small EV because it adds traction with fewer packaging compromises than a conventional 4x4 system.

From an expert perspective, Renault chose the right concept recipe. A compact EV does not need rock-crawling hardware to work as a beach car. It needs predictable torque delivery, moderate ground clearance, useful tire sidewall, and enough wheel travel to avoid grounding the battery enclosure on rough tracks.

Pro-Tip

For beach driving, tire choice matters as much as motor count. The JP4x4's 225/55 tires add sidewall height compared with low-profile urban EV rubber, which helps comfort and grip on softer surfaces.

Renault 4 JP4x4 vs Renault 4 E-Tech Electric

By comparison, the standard Renault 4 E-Tech electric focuses on daily use. It measures roughly 4,144 mm long, or 163.1 inches, and uses a front-mounted electric motor. In its higher-output 52 kWh version, the production car makes 150 hp and 245 Nm of torque, equal to 181 lb-ft.

Renault has not released battery capacity, output, torque split, curb weight, or range for the JP4x4. That silence matters. A production version would need a clear answer on efficiency because a second motor, wider stance, 18-inch tires, and open-air bodywork would cut range compared with the standard Renault 4.

Image

Why Renault Built an Open-Air Electric Beach Car

In addition, the design choices serve the beach-car mission rather than pure style. The openwork roof uses a cross structure to preserve stiffness, while the minimal doors and drop-down rear tailgate make the cabin feel closer to a pickup-style leisure vehicle than a typical crossover.

The orange interior, bucket seats, textile trim, grab handle, surfboard roof setup, and skateboard storage push the concept toward active outdoor use. Renault also links the JP4x4 to the original Plein Air and JP4, so the design team clearly wants heritage credibility without copying the old car panel for panel.