540 BHP all-electric Renault 5 Turbo 3E unveiled

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is built on a new platform with specifically developed rear-wheel drive architecture.

Renault has unveiled the 5 Turbo 3E, which pays tribute to the original Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 rally cars of the 1980s. The only difference is that this new car is an EV.

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is built on a new platform with specifically developed rear-wheel drive architecture. It features two in-wheel motors making 268 bhp each paired with a 70 kWh battery pack. Total power output stands at 536 bhp. It can go from 0 to 100 kph in under 3.5 seconds and has a range of over 400 km under the WLTP cycle. Thanks to its 800-volt architecture, it is capable of DC fast charging up to 350 kW. Charging the battery from 15 to 80% will take just 15 minutes.  Full AC battery charging takes around eight hours with the onboard 11 kW charger. For overtaking, a button on the steering wheel provides a power boost. Another button will allow the regenerative braking to be set to four levels. Four driving modes will be available with MULTI-SENSE: Snow, Regular, Sport and Race.

At the front, the 5 Turbo 3E gets square LED headlamps that merge with the bonnet edges, a slim strip with three central sections and two additional square lights, originally long-range lights now replaced by LED daytime running lights. The front bumper gets an aerodynamic splitter, while the bonnet gets a large air outlet to optimize downforce. To maximise airflow efficiency, the intakes on the sides of the bumper channel the air ahead of the wheels, while the side scoops on the rear wings channel the flow under the lights.

Coming to the side, a surround runs across the windshield pillars merging into the rear spoiler. An aerodynamic splitter crosses the body between the two rear lights. A diffuser is located underneath the rear bumper, which is extended outwards on both sides. The car features massive 20-inch wheels housed in oversized wheel arches.

The interior will feature bucket seats with six-point harnesses, lots of carbon fibre components to keep the weight down, Alcantara for the seats and dashboard and a rally-style vertical handbrake. Also available will be 10.1-inch and 10.25-inch OpenR screens that will display driving, navigation and multimedia information via an interface inspired by the dashboard of the original Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2.

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be available in a variety of exterior and interior colours, some of them reminiscent of the historic livery of the Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2, such as the Rouge Grenade seen on production models, or the yellow, white and black racing livery of the “Tour de Corse 1982” rally model. Additionally, new “gentleman driver” or contemporary livery options will also be available.

Only 1,980 units of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be made. This number pays a tribute to the year in which the original Renault 5 Turbo was launched. It will be available in several key markets including Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Australia. The order books will open in the coming weeks and first deliveries will happen in 2027.