There were several notable EU-centric EV debuts today during the Geneva International Motor Show, including an all-electric supermini from Renault called the 5 E-Tech. The French automaker has revived the nameplate for the all-electric age, with hopes it will soon dominate its class overseas.
Long before today’s debut of an all-electric version, the original Renault 5 was produced from 1972 to 1994, exceeding 5.5 million total vehicles produced. The supermini was wildly popular in its native country, reigning as France’s best-selling car from 1972-1986.
Following two generations of designs that included several variants, including an Alpine “hot hatch,” the last 5 rolled off Renault’s assembly lines 30 years ago. Renault proclaimed its original 1970s version of the 5 turned heads with its original, modern design as one of the first-ever superminis, offering consumers a compact, cost-friendly option.
To recapture those emotions for the all-electric future, Renault teased a show car of the 5 in January 2021, ahead of a production-ready design to come. Today, Renault unveiled the new all-electric supermini and donned the 5 E-Tech.
Source: Renault Group
Renault unveils all-electric 5 E-Tech in Geneva
The 5 E-Tech debuted today as an all-electric pillar in Renault’s “Renaulution” recovery strategy, in which the French automaker looks to regather a larger piece of the EU vehicle market and sell more locally made vehicles.
Renault Group and Ampere worked together to reimagine the 5, not as a vintage or nostalgic nod to the originals, but as a contemporary electric vehicle that delivers its own unique “retrofuturistic design” that evokes emotion and piques interest – much like the original did over 50 years ago.
The Renault 5 E-Tech is the first to be designed and built atop Ampere’s new B-segment EV platform, called AmpR Small. The bespoke platform allows for a flat floor, a 2.54-meter wheelbase, and a cargo capacity of 326 liters. All while maintaining a lower center of gravity and limited weight (1,500kg/3,300 lbs).
AmpR Small helped Renault cut the new 5 E-Tech’s development down to three years and enabled fresh technologies such as bidirectional charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and Plug & Charge capabilities. Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo spoke about the automaker’s latest debut:
Renault 5 E-Tech electric is a car unlike any other. Its release coincides with a major shift by millions of Europeans towards a new mobility which is electric, connected, and sustainable. It also triggered the transformation of Renault Group into a next-generation automotive company.
To develop this car in just three years in France, to the highest technological standard, all our decisions had to be disruptive, and our organization as agile as possible. We were the first ones to make a bet on a 100% electric platform for a small European car, to optimize costs across the value chain, to relocate our industrial ecosystem… Only an iconic car could bring our teams together in this way and move the needle internally.
In the face of significant change in our industry, this car paves a new way for Renault. It’s at the heart of the battle to reinvent European industry against competition coming from the East and the West. With this vehicle, we’re proving that production in Europe, in France, really is possible!
Renault says the 5 E-Tech will become available in three different electric motor configurations, offering 70 kW, 90 kW, or 110 kW of power, and its max battery size of 52 kWh will deliver a WLTP range of up to 400km (249 miles). It can even tow a trailer with a capacity of up to 500kg.
Renault said its new electric spin on the 5 will start competitively priced at around €25,000 ($27,100). The EVs will be built in France and officially launch in September 2024. Watch the full debut at the Geneva International Motor Show in the video below:
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
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The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
When they lose a significant other, most men do indeed become a “TRAIN WRECK.” Then they pick up the pieces of their lives and start living again — paying attention to their personal grooming, hitting the gym and discovering new hobbies.
What does the world’s richest man do? He starts a political party.
Last weekend, as the United States celebrated its independence from the British in 1776, Elon Musk enshrined his sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump by establishing the creatively named “American Party.”
Few details have been revealed, but Musk said the party will focus on “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” and will have legislative discussions “with both parties” — referring to the U.S. Democratic and Republican Parties.
It might be easier to realize Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars than to bridge the political aisle in the U.S. government today.
To be fair, some thought appeared to be behind the move. Musk decided to form the party after holding a poll on X in which 65.4% of respondents voted in favor.
Folks, here’s direct democracy — and the powerful post-separation motivation — in action.
— CNBC’s Erin Doherty contributed to this report.
What you need to know today
And finally…
An investor sits in front of a board showing stock information at a brokerage office in Beijing, China.
US President Donald Trump, right, and Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, May 30, 2025.
Francis Chung | Bloomberg | Getty Images
When they find themselves without a significant other, most men finally start living: They pay attention to their personal grooming, hit the gym and discover new hobbies.
What does the world’s richest man do? He starts a political party.
Last weekend, as the United States celebrated its independence from the British in 1776, Elon Musk enshrined his sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump by establishing the creatively named “American Party.”
Few details have been revealed, but Musk said the party will focus on “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” and will have legislative discussions “with both parties” — referring to the U.S. Democratic and Republican Parties.
It might be easier to realize Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars than to bridge the political aisle in the U.S. government today.
To be fair, some thought appeared to be behind the move. Musk decided to form the party after holding a poll on X in which 65.4% of respondents voted in favor.
Folks, here’s direct democracy — and the powerful post-separation motivation — in action.
[PRO] Wall Street is growing cautious on European equities. As investors seek shelter from tumult in U.S., the Stoxx 600 index has risen 6.6% year to date. Analysts, however, think the foundations of that growth could be shaky.
And finally…
Ayrton Senna driving the Marlboro McLaren during the Belgian Grand Prix in 1992.
Pascal Rondeau | Hulton Archive | Getty Images
The CEO mindset is shifting. It’s no longer all about winning
CEOs today aren’t just steering companies — they’re navigating a minefield. From geopolitical shocks and economic volatility to rapid shifts in tech and consumer behavior, the playbook for leadership is being rewritten in real time.
In an exclusive interview with CNBC earlier this week, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown outlined a leadership approach centered on urgency, momentum and learning from failure.