Renault 5 Turbo 3E electric hot hatch confirmed for Australia

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E electric hot hatch has been confirmed for Australia after successful negotiations with head office in France.

The modern, high-performance electric remake of the 1980s classic Renault 5 Turbo was confirmed on Christmas Eve - delivering an early present to fans of the French icon.

Renault Australia has since opened an expressions of interest page on the website.

 

The announcement comes just a fortnight after the production version of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E was unveiled globally and two years after the vehicle was shown in concept car form at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. With 500hp available via two electric motors powering the rear wheels, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E has supercar-like performance, with claimed 0 to 100km/h of 3.5 seconds - making it the fastest accelerating Renault production to date. The new Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a modern, electric take on the petrol-powered Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 hot hatches produced in the 1980's. The high-performance turbocharged variants were based on the original Renault 5 hatchback series sold in Europe from 1972 to 1985. The colour scheme of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E was inspired by the iconic livery of one of the rally competition versions of the Renault Turbo 5 in the early 1980's.

Details such as timing, pricing - and how many examples of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be produced - are yet to be announced. However, Renault has confirmed Renault 5 Turbo 3E is based on a carbon-fibre 'superstructure' which delivers high strength in a lightweight package. One of the rear air intakes - a design inspired from the 1980's Renault 5 Turbo - houses an electric charging port. As with the regular versions of Renault 4 E-Tech electric hatchback, Renault 5 Turbo 3E has unique light signatures - including scrolling 'welcome' and 'goodbye' sequenced - and digital widescreen instrument and infotainment displays in a cockpit-style cabin.

Other information such as driving range, recharging times, and battery capacity are yet to be announced. Prices and specifications for Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be revealed closer to Australian showroom arrivals.

"We have been working around the clock with head office in France to secure 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, the General Manager of Renault Australia.

"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.

"We got the green light for this car overnight and we are not waiting a moment to get things moving.

"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.

"Renault head office in France has been very supportive of Australia. The fact we've been able to secure Renault 5 Turbo 3E for our customers so soon after it was confirmed for production in Europe, shows how committed Renault is to the Australia market - with this and other exciting models around the corner."