Sacre Bleu! Wild 375kW Renault 5 Turbo 3E given green light as unhinged rear-drive all-electric super-hatch to fight Porsche
Renault has surprised the world by announcing that its wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E will enter production in 2026 as new flagship for its reborn Renault 5 E-Tech range.
Following in the tyre tracks of the mid-engine Renault 5 Turbo (1980-1984), 5 turbo 2 (1983-1986) and Clio V6 (2001-2005), the rear-wheel drive 5 Turbo 3E follows on from the 280kW 2022 concept but boosts total output to 375kW.
That level of power is plenty in a small hot hatch and rockets the R5 from 0-100km/h in just 3.5 seconds – although engineers could have made it quicker by bolting on an e-motor to both axles to provide for all-wheel drive.
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Instead, the French firm wanted to follow in the tradition of a small rear-drive hot hatch, with Renault rumoured to source its twin rear motors from British EV powertrain specialist Protean Electric that places a power unit within each wheel, removing the need for a differential.
Signifying just how special the 5 Turbo 3E is it shuns the standard R5’s AmpR Small (formerly CMF-BEV) platform and adopts an exotic bespoke architecture that allows for dramatic proportions, with just the angle of the windscreen said to be shared between the two.
Keeping weight down the 5 Turbo 3E also bags a full carbon-fibre body. That explains how radically different Renault’s super hatch looks, with it oversized front splitter, massive rear diffuser, wide new side skirts and twin air intakes (on either side) that jet cool air to the rear wheels’ in-hub motors.
Renault has yet to reveal full details but the production car is likely to share the concept’s three-stage drift control that will allow owners to safely drive very sideways and even allows them to perform controlled doughnuts on a designated track (not your local Bunnings car park).
How many Renault 5 Turbo 3Es will be made has yet to be confirmed but the carbon-fibre body suggests mass production will be off the menu.
Instead, expect a limited run and a price tag as high as $200,000.
What we can’t work out is why the 5 Turbo 3E isn’t badged an Alpine, although it’s thought that French performance brand was involved in the flagship R5’s development.
As for the regular Renault 5, the French car-maker’s local outfit has already announced that the retro cute electric hatch will arrive Down Under in either 2025 or 2026 – the same year as the 5 Turbo 3E arrives.
