Merry Christmas! Wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E locked in for Australia as $250K hot hatch supercar slayer

The wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E is coming to Australia as a race-inspired hot hatch rival to purebred supercars.

Renault confirmed pn Christmas Eve the radical retro-infused hatchback will head to Australia as a performance halo for the French brand – and an EV unlike any other.

“We have been working around the clock with head office in France to secure the Renault 5 Turbo 3E for Australia, and we finally locked it in just hours away from the start of the holiday shutdown period,” said Glen Sealey, general manager of Renault Australia.

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“We know Christmas Eve is not the ideal time to make a major announcement like this, but we know our fans have been waiting for this news and we wanted to share it with them as soon as possible.”

Channelling the craziness of the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo of the 1980s, the R5 Turbo 3E does away with petrol and instead relies purely on electrons to blast to 100km/h in as little as 3.5 seconds.

The R5 Turbo 3E uses a dual motor set-up making 500 horsepower – about 375kW – but instead of one motor on each of the front and rear axles it uses a motor for each of the rear wheels.

That gives it a classic rear-wheel drive layout that likely wouldn’t be as fast as an all-wheel drive set-up but should provide plenty of fun factor and driving character.

There’s also some Formula One inspiration with a carbon-fibre body chosen for strength and light weight.

In confirming the car will be built in right-hand drive for Australia Renault says it will start taking expressions of interest.

“Customers in Australia will be able to fill in their details on an expressions of interest page, which will make them the first to know when there are important updates – and it will make them the first to know when it comes time to place an order,” said Sealey.

There’s no word yet on pricing for the R5 Turbo 3E.

However, overseas reports suggest it would sell for around the equivalent of $200,000. By the time you throw in local taxes – including GST and luxury car tax – there’s unlikely to be much change from $250,000.

Production is slated from 2026, although it’s unclear when Australian cars will arrive.

Either way, expect it to be a low volume machine that’s more about shining a spotlight on the brand than boosting sales.

And don’t get too excited that the Turbo 3E may pave the way for the regular Renault 5 to come to Australia.

While Renault Australia’s Sealey has previously expressed his enthusiasm for the Renault 5, the status for that more practical – and affordable – for the garden variety one hasn’t changed because it is a very different car.

“Securing the R5 Turbo is step one of a number of products coming to Australia from Renault,” said Sealey. “As news develops on other models we will keep you informed.”

In short, Renault Australia is still working through a business case to see if it can make the numbers work.