Renault unveiled a striking one-off concept on May 18, 2026, at the Roland-Garros tennis tournament in Paris. The JP4x4 — whose name translates loosely as "a day at the beach" — strips the production R4 E-Tech down to a doorless, roofless, open-bed electric buggy. It's a pure show car, with no production plans, and the R4 itself remains unavailable in North America, where Renault hasn't sold cars since 1987.
Still, the concept is worth a look for what it shows about the R4's engineering headroom.
Dual motors, more clearance, and a surfboard on the roof
The JP4x4 swaps the production R4's single front motor for a dual-motor setup driving all 4 wheels — the same architecture previewed in Renault's Savane 4x4 Concept from 2025. Ground clearance rises 15 mm over the standard R4 E-Tech, tracks widen 10 mm per side, and 18-inch Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ tires fill the arches. The concept's emerald green paint and bright orange interior are hard to miss; a surfboard rides on the X-frame roof structure, and a pair of skateboards sits in the small open pickup bed with a drop-down tailgate.
Inside, Renault kept the production car's digital instrument cluster but added new seats with integrated headrests and a floating center console. The rest is open to the elements — no side glass, no soft top, no weather protection of any kind, very much in the spirit of the classic 1970s Citroën Méhari-style beach buggies that inspired it.
Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept
The concept draws on two pieces of Renault history: the Plein Air of 1969 and the JP4 of 1981, both open-air R4 variants built for leisure and light off-road use.
What the production R4 actually offers
The production R4 E-Tech is a front-wheel-drive only compact electric crossover rated at 150 hp. In the UK market it carries a 52 kWh battery with 241–247 miles on the WLTP cycle (the EU range-test standard, which typically reads higher than EPA figures). Renault has said it is open to an AWD version if demand warrants one, but nothing is confirmed.
Renault 4 JP4x4 Concept
A soft-top open-air variant called the Plein Sud — the closest production equivalent to the JP4x4's spirit — starts around £27,445 in the UK after a £3,750 government EV grant, with deliveries expected in Q3 2026. No US pricing, no US dealers, and no timeline for a North American return exists at this point — per Renault Global Media, the JP4x4 will appear at Roland-Garros alongside production R4, R5, and Twingo E-Tech models before becoming a one-of-a-kind collector piece.
The bigger picture
The JP4x4 proves the R4 platform can accommodate a rear motor and AWD hardware — that's the technically interesting takeaway. Whether Renault turns that capability into a real product depends entirely on how the front-wheel-drive model sells in Europe. For now, it's a vivid show car that recalls a simpler era of open-air motoring, built around a fully modern electric platform.
