Yellow, black and white livery clearly takes inspiration from the rally car driven by Jean Ragnotti
Renault CEO confirms hyper-hatchback’s debut is imminent and “much more” than 150 units will be built
Renault will reveal its wild Turbo 3E hyper-hatchback in the coming months before starting production of “much more” than 150 units next year – and there could be more hardcore performance models in the firm’s future.
Developed in collaboration with Alpine, the outlandish 3E is the electric reincarnation of the original Renault 5 Turbo. It is loosely based on today’s retro Renault 5 supermini but with bespoke bodywork, its own platform and a pair of in-wheel motors pumping out more than 500bhp.
It is far removed in its conception from any Renault model past or present, but CEO Fabrice Cambolive told Autocar that it “was a kind of logical consequence when you look at the design of the R5, which already takes some elements from the old Turbo”.
He also said it plays an important role as an expansion of the Renault 5 range: “For me, it was very important to be able to have as extensive as possible coverage in terms of customer needs for R5 – beginning with a very interesting price bracket but opening the adoption of this car to people who want extreme sensations.
“When you have such a car which is such fun to drive, why not push the boundaries?”
He hailed the 3E’s ability to “drift permanently” and carry “much more speed” as headline attributes but said these “extreme conditions” were developed with a keen eye on efficiency, so as to ensure the hyper-hatch retained a usable range.
“That’s why the idea of having engines on wheels was very interesting for us,” he said, referring to the 3E’s in-wheel EV motors, a technology that is widely touted as bringing dramatic advantages in packaging, efficiency and power delivery compared with conventional ‘e-axles’.
Renault will prove the potential of this technology when the 3E makes its dynamic debut, Cambolive said, without naming a date or venue. The original 3E concept was driven in anger for the first time at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and sibling brand Alpine hosted the global debut of the R5-based A290 hot hatch there last year – but the company hasn’t confirmed its attendance at the 2025 event.
He also wouldn’t give specifics on the 3E’s pricing but said “we will have a fair price linked, of course, with the power of the car” and it will be far below the £200,000-plus commanded by sibling brand Alpine’s similarly extreme A110 R Ultime track car.
However, Cambolive did say Renault will build “much more” than 150 units and has been encouraged by early reaction to the car.
“A lot of people who know the price already are ready to invest because they think this kind of car will never lose value,” he said, highlighting the collector status that has been achieved by the original Turbo. “If you browse the R5 Turbo 1, you have prices that are quite significant…”
Original Turbos are vanishingly rare and prices for the best examples currently push well past £150,000.
“I don’t think the price will be a barrier,” said Cambolive. “As long as it’s fair, as long as the car delivers the power, the efficiency, the technology, the innovation and a very high-quality dimension, I think we’ll find our public – especially a public which remembers the ultra-sporty aspects of Renault in the past.”
The decision not to revive the dormant Renault Sport moniker used by previous Renault hot hatches is because “we are focusing a lot on product”, Cambolive said, “and speaking about Renault Sport without any products is not essential”.
He did suggest, however, that there could be more performance models in the pipeline for Renault after this. “I prefer to speak about Turbo 3E, and after that to see what we can do on top of that if Turbo 3E is a success,” he said. “Let’s build our ‘sportivity’ step by step.”
Renault product boss Bruno Vanel recently promised the 5 Turbo 3E will deliver an “outstanding driving sensation, something completely unexpected” that is “agile like nothing else” as a result of its innovative drivetrain.
The two in-wheel motors enable more precise control of each wheel and the wheels can effectively “do what they want”, said Vanel. In-wheel technology – which, Autocar understands, has been supplied by British specialist Protean Electric – removes the need for an electronic differential or the type of simulated ‘manual’ gearshift used on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
The 0-62mph time will be less than 3.5sec, and Vanel described the performance as “breathtaking”.
The electric hot hatch will have a bespoke carbon-composite body. Renault has yet to confirm the car’s dimensions but its proportions are significantly different from those of the standard 5 on which it is loosely based. Only the windscreen angle is shared between the two.
A longer dash-to-axle ratio in particular reveals that the production car will follow the concept in using a bespoke architecture. The two-seat concept used a tubular chassis with a roll-cage in the rear.
Its extreme bodywork is created with aerodynamic efficiency and cooling in mind, including a vast rear spoiler and diffuser, flared wheel arches, and side air intakes to cool the motors.
One of the key features of the concept version was its three drift modes for different levels of playfulness, including the ability to do doughnuts. The concept also used a manual handbrake and, given how important that is to the ethos of the project, it’s something Renault would want to retain for production.
Sandeep Bhambra, Renault’s head of advanced design, said the brief from Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo was to “make me a little beast”. Bhambra said the “intention had always been to make it” for production after the positive reaction garnered by the concept that previewed it in 2022.
Source: Autocar
