Renault Australia reopens orders for exclusive EV with eye-watering price
Renault Australia has confirmed the first 500 examples of the wild new 5 Turbo 3E electric hot hatch sold out within the first 48 hours, and that it's therefore about to open orders for the next 500 examples.
Orders for the second allocation opened at 5:00pm AEST today (April 28). Renault will produce just 1980 examples in total of the 5 Turbo 3E globally, commemorating the launch year of the original 5 Turbo.
Renault says the first local customer deliveries are due in 2027, subject to homologation in each region.
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While Australian pricing has yet to be announced, on its global press site Renault has published provisional recommended launch pricing of €155,000 (A$275,595), with a reservation fee of €50,000 (A$88,870).
Australian pricing can't be determined with a simple currency conversion, as that doesn't take into account a five per cent import duty, 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST), or Luxury Car Tax (LCT) of 33 per cent over the LCT threshold of $91,387.
Taking all this into account, the hot Renault EV is set to wear a price tag north of $300,000.
At that price it will usurp the $108,000 Megane R.S. Trophy-R Record Version from 2019 as the most expensive new Renault vehicle ever sold Down Under.
'The interest in the Renault 5 Turbo 3E has been phenomenal and it shows the passion that exists for the Renault brand,' said Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey.
'Once all 1980 vehicles are allocated globally there will be no more. This is an exclusive car, and an exclusive customer vetting process that Renault has never done before.
'The cars are being allocated on a first come, first served basis globally. So buyers in Australia have the same opportunity to secure a car as a buyer in Europe or anywhere else in the world.'
In short, these vehicles are being built to order, so you won't find them sitting on Renault Australia dealer lots.
Revealed in December, the 5 Turbo 3E is a modern take on the classic 1980s Renault 5 Turbo, a homologation special of the mass-market hatchback intended to win in the World Rally Championship.
Unlike most performance variants of electric vehicles (EVs), Renault says the R5 Turbo 3E is built on a completely different platform to the Renault 5 E-Tech, allowing it to use in-wheel electric motors rather than the single front-mounted unit of its lesser sibling.
Renault previously said the 2022 Turbo 3E concept weighed just 980kg, with its 42kWh lithium-ion battery pack weighing 520kg, but it now says the production model won't weigh more than 1450kg. That would make it heavier than the standard electric 5 E-Tech.
Its battery has also expanded in capacity to 70kWh, with Renault targeting a driving range of up to 400km on the WLTP cycle and a DC fast-charging capacity of 350kW.
Powering the R5 Turbo 3E are a pair of electric motors, one housed inside each rear wheel, which Renault claims can produce up to 400kW and 4800Nm – though the latter figure is torque at the wheel, rather than the motor.
The carmaker quotes a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.5 seconds, which is on par with the all-wheel drive Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. It will also feature a top speed of 270km/h.
Like the Ioniq 5 N, the 5 Turbo 3E employs an 800-volt electrical architecture.
Renault has made the most of putting the 5 Turbo 3E on a bespoke platform, with its dimensions being dramatically different from the 5 E-Tech.
Measuring 4.08m long, 2.03m wide and 1.38m tall, it's about 16cm longer, 23cm wider and 12cm lower than its sibling, while its wheelbase has also grown by 3cm to 2.57m.
Its more aggressive stance is aided by a more aggressively sloped roof, while the 5 Turbo 3E also does without two of the 5 E-Tech's doors.
Under the wide wheel-arches sit 20-inch wheels, with the focus clearly on performance rather than efficiency.
This approach is evident with the grip-focused bodywork, designed to increase downforce rather than make the electric hatchback win a hypermiling competition.
Inside, a pair of racing-style bucket seats complete with six-point harnesses show the EV's intentions, as does the carbon-fibre trim.
There's a 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, while a vertical rally-style handbrake is arguably the greatest indication that this isn't a regular Renault.
Renault has only shown off the R5 Turbo 3E in its yellow, silver and black livery, but it says the electric hatchback will be available in 'a choice of exterior and interior colours'.
These include the gloss and light red Rouge Grenade finish of the original model, as well as some combinations inspired by previous racing liveries such as the factory-backed colours of the 1982 Tour de Corse.
With its unique platform and heady performance, the 5 Turbo 3E is a much more outlandish take on the revived Renault 5 than the Alpine A290 is.
Not yet confirmed for Australia, the A290 takes the standard Renault 5 and gives it a light restyling as well as up to 162kW of power – good for a 0-100km/h time of 7.4 seconds.
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