A hatchback has always been a natural candidate for a high-performance derivative, and Renault is no stranger to the category, and so the Renault 5 EV that made its debut in February this year has now spawned the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.
This is “a modern, electric take” on the Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 from the 1980s, says Renault, and it builds upon the Renault 5 powertrain with a pair of electric motors, one driving each rear wheel for a combined output of more than 500 PS. Thus equipped, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is capable of the 0-100 km/h acceleration run in 3.5 seconds, says Renault.
Battery specifications for the Turbo 3E have yet to be disclosed, though for reference the standard Renault 5 EV packs a 40 kWh battery or a 52 kWh battery, the latter offering up to 400 km of range (WLTP) for the standard EV hatchback.
As shown here, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E wears a much more aggressively styled body compared to the standard car. The Turbo 3E gets larger alloy wheels shod in lower-profile tyres, and these appear to be positioned for wider track widths front and rear, given the significantly widened wheelarches which are square-edged of a modern rally car fashion.
The Turbo 3E also gets a lower and more protruding front bumper, which features restyled headlamps, a slightly enlarged trio of air inlets along the upper edge of the bumper, and a restyled set of four-LED daytime running lights.
Towards the rear, one of the air intakes ahead of the rear wheel arches is where the battery charging socket is located, and the enlarged rear wheelarches extend to make room for vents at the base of each tail lamp. Below these, a significantly extended rear bumper takes on a diffuser-esque form.
The marque says that the Renault Turbo 3E is built around a carbon superstructure that is ‘lightweight and extremely stiff’, though a kerb weight figure was not revealed. As a baseline, the standard Renault 5 EV is claimed to weigh under 1,500 kg.
The Renault 5 Turbo 3E isn’t just a design exercise, as Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has confirmed that it will enter production in the future. More will be revealed about the Renault 5 Turbo 3E in subsequent publicity material next year, says the company, which suggests a production debut in 2026.
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Retro 80s is the new cool
Would love to see the next gen Saga to have Retro 80s design styling such as this Renault 5, Hyundai N Vision 74, E-Legend EL1,