Renault’s electric 5 Turbo 3E will use in-wheel motors supplied by Britain’s Protean Electric, giving the limited-run mini-supercar one of the more unusual powertrain layouts in a modern production EV.
The deal confirms Protean as the supplier of the rear in-wheel motors for the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, a reborn version of Renault’s wild 1980s hot hatch.
Renault has already listed the car with a dual electric powertrain producing 555hp (410kW), with the two motors placed inside the rear wheels.
It quotes 0-100kph in less than 3.5 seconds and a track-only top speed of 270kph, although technical specifications are still subject to final approval.
The layout is central to the car’s character. Instead of a conventional rear e-motor driving the wheels through shafts, each rear wheel has its own motor.
That helps Renault push power directly to the road, while also giving engineers more control over torque delivery.
The Protean-supplied motors would make the 5 Turbo 3E the first production model to use rear in-wheel motor technology in this way.
Renault said the car sits on a bespoke aluminium platform, with a carbon superstructure and an unladen weight of about 1,450kg.
Production is limited to 1,980 units, a nod to the original Renault 5 Turbo’s launch year. Reservations opened in April 2025, with Renault asking for a €50,000 (RM232,000) deposit in Europe.
Alpine CEO Philippe Krief said the in-wheel motors were a key part of the project, while Protean Electric CEO Andrew Whitehead described the Renault deal as proof that the technology can work beyond niche engineering demonstrations.
Renault and Protean are due to share more technical detail at the 2026 International Vienna Motor Symposium, where both companies will present papers on the vehicle and powertrain development.
