The Monocle Minute

The big French car manufacturers and their all-electric offerings have taken centre stage at the Mondial de l’Auto motor show in Paris this week. When it comes to the design of these EVs, Renault has been especially astute in deploying a tried-and-true trick of the automotive trade: remaking historically popular models. Alongside the Monocle Design Award-winning R5 – a battery-powered take on the Renault 5 – it has unveiled the new R4, resurrecting the name of its all-time bestselling model, the Renault 4. (A whopping eight million of them were sold in more than 100 countries between the 1960s and the 1990s.) It also showcased a plug-in version of the Twingo, a 1990s icon of affordable French motoring. The idea, which is just as popular in remake-obsessed Hollywood, is to attract consumers by tugging on their nostalgic heartstrings. But the stakes are particularly high for European automakers.

As Renault’s design director, Gilles Vidal, told Les Echos, making these EVs instantly familiar “gives them a more reassuring dimension, which can help clients to switch to electric more easily”. Persuading consumers to transition away from combustion-engine cars is perhaps the most crucial strategic objective for European automakers, which are currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock, in this case, is EU regulations that will forbid the sale of new carbon-emitting vehicles in the Eurozone by 2035, forcing a rapid conversion. The hard place is a recent slump in EV sales as early adopters are already driving electric cars, while the rest are holding out for cheaper options.

Making matters worse for them is the high-quality, aggressively priced competition from Chinese companies, which will not be deterred by the EU’s half-hearted tariffs. But the power of design should not be underestimated. It might well come to the rescue for European brands, as it has in the past.

Simon Bouvier is Monocle’s Paris bureau chief. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribeto Monocle today.

Leaders of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Islamabad for the bloc’s 24th annual summit. Among them are India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, China’s premier, Li Qiang, and Russia’s prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin. The Eurasian alliance was established in 2001 by Russia and China in order to strengthen ties among its 10 member states in the fields of security, economics, environment and trade.

The Pakistani capital has been put under a complete security lockdown and a three-day public holiday declared. Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese premier to the country in 11 years. Jaishankar’s, meanwhile, is the first by an Indian foreign minister in nine years, amid long-running tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. “The fact that India has sent a four-member delegation, in comparison to the 76-strong delegation from Russia, indicates that it doesn’t want to turn this into an opportunity to resume bilateral talks with Pakistan,” Islamabad-based journalist Farhan Bokhari tells The Monocle Minute. “It’s keeping this at the level of participating in a multilateral forum. That’s where India has drawn the line.”

After a few years of mostly incremental growth, Etihad Airways appears on course to enter a period of rapid expansion. The airline has been reactivating A380 superjumbos to meet demand on trunk routes and now plans to update those and other aircraft with its latest seats. But the big news is the imminent addition of new cities, aided by Etihad’s acquisition of long-range, single-aisle A321LRs.

Having launched the likes of Nice and Mykonos this summer – and with Prague and Warsaw going online next year – Etihad Airways is expected to announce 11 new cities next month, with a further 20 or more to come in 2025. With Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport in full operation, the airline is suddenly looking very bullish about the future. It seems no longer content to be a boutique operator and is gearing up to compete with its neighbours in Dubai and Doha.

The Kuala Lumpur Design Festival (KLDF) kicks off tomorrow in the Malaysian capital. Founded in 2022, the 10-day festival explores the theme of “Everyday Design” and how it can improve our quality of life. Alongside panel discussions, workshops, networking events and a performance by the Kuala Lumpur Orchestra, there will be a “Micro Trade Fair” focusing on sustainable materials.

Visitors can expect talks by architects, interior designers, timber manufacturers and even shoemakers, as well as sessions on urban gardening. Meanwhile, an emerging-designer programme will give a platform to young talent. “It’s easy to overlook design in today’s fast-paced society,” says Nizar Musa, the festival’s co-curator. “We hope that the KLDF can be the medium that starts a conversation on what makes good design and highlights its value and contribution to the Malaysian way of life.”

Our recap of the Monocle Quality of Life Conference in Istanbul. We meet Maltese architect Richard England, and talk to the founders of fashion label Nackiyé and design studio Autoban. Plus: the creative force behind Hungarian brand Nanushka.