RENAULT 5 TURBO 3E TO BE 533BHP 'MINI-SUPERCAR'

The radical Renault 5 Turbo 3E hatchback will arrive in 2027 as the brand's most powerful and advanced road car to date, packed with 533bhp and supercarbaiting acceleration.

- JONATHAN BRYCE

Indeed, this electric reincarnation of the 5 Turbo of 1980 - also the number of examples that will be made - is said by Renault to have created an entirely new segment: the "mini-supercar".

It is loosely based on today's retro-styled Renault 5 electric supermini but has a bespoke platform, its own bodywork and a pair of in-wheel motors.

These combine to produce a claimed 3540lb ft of wheel torque, although the torque transferred to the road is likely to be closer to 10% of that figure.

The resulting performance is a 0-62mph time that is expected to be less than 3.5sec and a track-only top speed of 168mph.

The in-wheel motors are said to deliver their power to the rear wheels with greater immediacy than conventional ones. They also enable more precise control of each wheel and provide a "significant" weight and space saving at the axle.