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Renault presented the special series 5 E-Tech Roland Garros with a tennis theme
The Renault 5 E-Tech Roland Garros will be unveiled at the Roland Garros French Open in May. Tennis-inspired details include a red clay phone charger stand and an e-pop paddle shifter shaped like a racket handle.
Between the 1990s and 2010s, Peugeot produced a series of limited-edition luxury superminis inspired by the Roland Garros French Open tennis tournament. But now Renault is the automotive partner of the event. This year, it used that connection to create the first limited edition 5 E-Tech.
The novelty will debut in May and June at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Garros, by the way, was not a legendary French tennis player, but a famous aviator who was shot down by the Germans in the First World War and later named the stadium in his honor.
The Special Series 5s comes in Pearl White, Midnight Blue, Starry Black and one additional color exclusive to the series, Matt Slate Grey. Each of these paint schemes is paired with a satin black fabric-trimmed roof edged with satin chrome trim, while the cars are fitted with 18-inch diamond-cut black alloy wheels with Matt Slate Gray center caps.
On the lower sections of the entrance door there are "Roland Garros" nameplates arranged in the form of cross-hatching. It looks like the strings of a tennis racket, but appears to be a reference to St. Andrew's Cross and inspired by the stadium's architecture.
Inside, there's more Roland Garros badging, particularly on the passenger seats, which are upholstered in a recycled fabric reminiscent of that used in the production of sportswear, and on the end of the e-pop gear shifter, which is shaped like a tennis ball grip. Backlighting on the instrument panel spells out the name Roland Garros in Paris, and as a nod to the French Open tennis court, the console's phone charger is painted in a bright shade.
The new models will be shown at the tournament alongside the other E-Tech 5. And they won't be the only Renaults on site. The automaker provides organizers with 180 hybrid and electric cars and SUVs for the event and even offers rides in four classic 1970s cars, each retrofitted to run on electricity.
