Renault 4 JP4x4 is a dual-motor beach buggy that's a surfer's dream

There has been no shortage of concept versions of the latest, all-electric Renault 4. Following on from the FL4WER POWER, Savane 4x4 and Vision 4Rescue now there’s the Renault 4 JP4x4. 

The new concept is described as a “beach adventurer”, and as its name suggests, is a 4x4 – using the dual-motor four-wheel drive system from the Savane 4x4 concept. The production Renault 4 currently comes only with a front-wheel-drive, single-motor configuration - though the company has said it’s studying customer and market feedback over whether to launch a dual-motor variant.

Because it sits on the same platform as the Savane 4x4 Concept, the JP4x4 stands 15mm taller than the production Renault 4, and is fitted with new 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in winter tyres with a 10mm wider track front and rear. This makes the JP4x4 “more agile while also enhancing its off-road capabilities on sandy, stony and unpaved terrain”, according to Renault. We also imagine the JP4x4 Concept won’t look too out of place on the clay courts of Roland-Garros at the French Open tennis tournament - where it’ll make its public debut alongside the special-edition Renault 4 Roland-Garros. 

Renault’s Advanced Design Director, Jean-Philippe Salar, says the JP4x4 is “a cross between a pick-up and a beach buggy”  and this approach can be seen (quite literally) through the “openwork doors”. Renault says they deliver an “outdoor” experience that’s enhanced by the lack of a proper roof; instead there’s a cross section and a surfboard for protection against the elements. The JP4x4 has also been turned into a two-door model thanks to the rear section also losing its roof and sides in favour of a pick-up-style load bay. 

The concept theme continues inside with orange bucket seats upholstered in a “crepe base and diagonal mesh sections”. The same colour extends to the new floating centre console, those tiny doors, the dashboard and the loading bay. As a nod to the car’s off-road brief, a grab handle has been fitted on the passenger’s side of the dash – to be used “should the terrain get bumpy”, Renault says. 

If you’re a surfer then the Volkswagen California might be the perfect mode of transportation for you and your boards - check out some fantastic used examples on the Auto Express Buy A Car service here.