Renault has booked orders for more than half of the 1,980-unit production run of the 5 Turbo 3E, the electric hot hatch priced from €160,000 (about $180,000). Florent Ingargiola, the car's product leader, confirmed the figure at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, where the car appeared in new paint schemes ahead of its personalisation program.
The order book is a strong start for a car that costs supercar money with a Renault badge, and it suggests the limited-run format is working before a single customer car has been delivered.
The production cap of 1,980 cars is a deliberate nod to 1980, the year the original Renault 5 Turbo debuted. The modern car keeps the original's rear-wheel-drive layout and wide-body attitude but swaps the mid-mounted combustion engine for an all-electric powertrain.
Fully loaded cars could reach €350,000
Renault CEO François Provost says some fully customised examples are expected to cost more than €350,000, roughly $393,000. That is approaching double the starting price, and it puts a small hatchback into genuine supercar territory on cost.
Buyers cannot lock in every detail straight away. The full personalisation program opens in mid-2027, with first deliveries scheduled for 2028. The car is still in development and final homologation, so there is work left before customer cars are ready.
The program goes well beyond paint and trim, covering exterior finishes, interior materials and other details. Renault says it has needed a larger design team than expected, and it has invested in two dedicated locations in the Paris area where customers can configure their cars.
The approach is a departure for a company better known for affordable hatchbacks than ultra-expensive collector cars. The logic is straightforward: buyers spending six figures on a strictly limited car expect the kind of experience established luxury and supercar brands provide.
The hardware behind the price
The 5 Turbo 3E is not a regular Renault 5 E-Tech with a body kit. It packs two electric motors mounted inside the rear wheels, producing a combined 555 hp. Renault claims 0 to 100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds and a 270 km/h (168 mph) top speed.
A 70-kWh battery delivers an estimated WLTP range of more than 400 km (249 miles). The 800-volt electrical architecture supports charging at up to 350 kW, good for a 15 to 80 percent charge in around 15 minutes.
More retro EVs could follow
Provost has hinted that Renault is exploring other ambitious projects, including a possible production version of the Alpine A310 Vision concept shown at the same Paris Motor Show. The Renault 8 Gordini Concept, a rear-wheel-drive electric coupe, is another retro-flavored candidate.
The order book makes the case for itself. More than 1,000 orders for an expensive, unusual electric performance car suggests there is a real audience for emotionally appealing EVs, even at prices far beyond what most people would spend on a small hatchback wearing the diamond badge.
