Renault 5 Turbo 3E inbound

RENAULT Australia has confirmed the arrival of its all-electric 5 Turbo 3E for the local market following successful negotiations with its French head office.

The modern, high-performance electric remake of the 1980s classic Renault 5 Turbo was confirmed over the holiday break, with expressions of interest for the high performing model now open on the importer’s public website.

The announcement comes just a weeks after the production version of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E was unveiled globally and two years after the vehicle was unveiled in concept car form at the 2022 Paris Motor Show.

As a spiritual successor to the Clio V6, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will challenge the likes of the Cupra Born VZ and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N when it arrives sometime in 2025.

With 500hp (368kW) available via two electric motors powering the rear wheels, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E has “supercar-like performance”, with a claimed 0 to 100kmh of 3.5 seconds – making it the fastest accelerating Renault produced to date.

Renault has confirmed the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is based on a carbon-fibre ‘superstructure’ which delivers high strength in a lightweight package with one of the rear air intakes disguising the battery-powered model’s charging port.

As with the regular versions of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric hatchback, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E has unique light signatures – including scrolling ‘welcome’ and ‘goodbye’ sequences – and digital widescreen instrument and infotainment displays in what it describes as a “cockpit-style cabin”.

“We have been working around the clock with head office in France to secure the Renault 5 Turbo 3E for Australia, and we finally locked it in just hours away from the start of the holiday shutdown period,” said Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey.

“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 the Renault 5 Turbo 3E for our customers so soon after it was confirmed for production in Europe, shows how committed Renault is to the Australian market – with this and other exciting models around the corner,” he concluded.

Details such as timing, pricing – and how many examples of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be made available Down Under – are yet to be announced.