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…"
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Great looking car with just the right amount of retro that also has the potential to smash anything else on the market, although I don't understand why it's not 4 wheel drive at that price point.
Sure it's going to generate a few headlines (probably its real purpose) and would probably make a great Hill Climb car. But who is going to actually buy it? Does it really make sense to purchase a 500 horsepower rocket ship that probably would not complete more than a single lap hot lap of the Nurburgring without stopping for juice? Renault or Alpine should stop this nonsense and put a bit more effort into selling it's really excellent A110 sports car.
EVs can do more than 1 lap at Nurburgring, for example Hyundai Ioniq 5N can do 2-3 flat-out.
Besides, a hot petrol car can only do 5-6 laps, really, but it overheats after 2.
But that's not the point, anyway. If it were intended for Nurburgring it would have been AWD, not RWD.
Of course it's not sensible or practical, it's more a because I like it, nothing wrong with that, would you be influenced by what a fellow poster said about your choice of brand or particular car?, no you wouldn't, buy it to sit in it's climate controlled garage or buy it to do Hill climbs, ( by the way, I don't think it has enough Hp or aero to compete as is anyway, it a choice think, isn't it?
Need it