Renault left the American market over 30 years ago, ending official US operations in 1987. The French automaker has been absent here ever since, although it is gearing up for a return later this decade with its Alpine brand. However, if you walk through the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York today, you might see the giant advertisement for the Renault 5 E-Tech, an electric city car we'll never see on our roads. But that ad isn't for Americans like us.
According to the French publication L'Auto-Journal, Renault's new marketing campaign for the 5 targets European tourists in America. The campaign heavily promotes the updated model, which launched earlier this year. The ad reads, "Le Car Is Back," which is what Renault called the 5 in the US when the company sold them here from 1976 to 1983.
What are you playing at, Renault?
There's an asterisk, too, with the fine print playfully mocking Americans that the new 5 is "But not for you, Désolé (Sorry)," which feels a bit insincere. The QR code at the bottom of the ad takes you to an English-language landing page for the new 5, and America is not on the list.
When Renault does return to America, it'll be with Alpine. The brand has already teased seven new electric vehicles scheduled to arrive by 2030, with plans to expand to other countries, including the US, in 2027. Alpine has its own version of the 5, the A290, but we don't imagine it ever coming here.
It feels odd to call a car an automaker no longer sells here by its last known name, but maybe this is a subtle ploy to re-familiarize Americans with the brand before Alpine returns.
