Cars worth watching for 2025: Derry Journal Motoring with Jim Mc Cauley

The judging panel included top design professionals from a variety of automotive manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Mercedes-Benz. The Renault 5 E-Tech electric features in the 200-page 2024 Car Design Review 11 yearbook published by Car Design News this week, with the judges giving their opinion on why they chose it as their design champion.

On accepting the award, Gilles Vidal, Vice President of Design, Renault Brand said: "This award is a proud moment for everyone involved in bringing the Renault 5 E-Tech to life. Our goal was to capture the spirit of an icon while infusing it with modernity and innovation, honouring its legacy while reimagining it for a new era. It’s incredibly rewarding to see this vision resonate with such a respected panel of designers. This recognition reflects the collective passion and hard work of the entire team.”

The compact supermini has been designed as a modern reinvention of the iconic original, featuring large 18-inch wheels, minimal overhangs, wheels flush with the body, and wide track. To confirm its French parentage, it comes with a baguette holder alongside its cup holder. The new supermini challenger will be available from £22,995 OTR when it goes on sale in January, in a choice of three trim levels – evolution, techno and iconic five. It features a heat-pump as standard and a choice of two battery sizes offering a driving range of up to 248 miles, and potential to recharge to 80% in only 30 minutes.

Eager buyers who want to be amongst the first to take delivery can purchase a VIP R Pass for £150, which provides priority access to ordering along with other benefits. To sign up for an R Pass, customers simply need to visit Renault 5 R Pass.

The new model has further confirmed its new status, taking the overall title of ‘Car of the Year’ at the inaugural awards ceremony at the London EV Show. One of the jurors, Marc Palmer from Auto Trader, was definite about the direction that manufacturers should take in order to increase uptake of EVs in the retail sector. “I think there are lots of big, expensive EVs in the market, and it’s good to see manufacturers bring smaller cars in.”

Getting the promotional side off to a good start, Renault has teamed up with R&B singer-songwriter Sinéad Harnett to re-record and mix a version of her hit single, ‘Thinking Less’ within the car.

Also new to the EV market will be the Suzuki eVITARA, with sales beginning here in the summer of 2025. The compact arrival is just 4.2 metres in length and allows the company to offer choice in all of its vehicle ranges. The newly developed HEARTECT-e platform will adapt to two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive with the new ALLGRIP-e drive drawing on Suzuki's expertise in four- wheel drive technology. The two-wheel drive versions will feature a 49kWh battery while a 61kWh supply will be available on both two-wheel and four-wheel drive models.

This BEV will sit alongside the company’s hybrid and compressed natural gas (CNG) power offerings.