We first heard about the possibility of a hot Renault Zoe RS in April and now, the French company has provided additional information about the potential future of the model.
Speaking to Autocar, Renault Sport boss Patrice Ratti confirmed that a punchy prototype of the firm’s all-electric supermini has already been built, following on from the debut of the 460 hp Zoe e-sport concept at March’s Geneva Motor Show.
“We are thinking about doing a Zoe RS but it is a big study that will take time. The performance of batteries has improved [to the point] that it is now feasible, which certainly wasn’t the case a few years ago. So the studies have begun,” Ratti confirmed.
The executive said that one of the key challenges of creating a Zoe RS will be ensuring that it matches the remarkable handling of Renault Sport models from the past.
“A Renault Sport car also needs to handle well and that is the challenge. To have the weight of the batteries and still achieve the agility we pride ourselves on is a tough task,” he said.
While developing such a vehicle will certainly be a challenge, actually selling it and making it a viable option for performance car enthusiasts will be something else entirely. If the Zoe RS does become a reality, Renault will also have to price it competitively against ICE-powered alternatives.
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