Renault 5 History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
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Introduced in January 1972 and styled by Michel Boué (who died before its launch), the Renault 5 was Renault's first true supermini — a front-wheel-drive, three-door hatchback that became the best-selling car in France for much of the 1970s and early 1980s. It was sold in North America as 'Le Car' from 1976 to 1983.
The high-performance Renault 5 Turbo (1980–1986) was a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive homologation special for Group 4 rallying, producing up to 160 hp from a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine — one of the most technically radical small cars of its era.
A second generation, the Supercinq (Super 5), launched in 1984 and ran until 1996. Total production across both generations exceeded 5.5 million units. Renault revived the R5 nameplate as the fully electric Renault 5 E-Tech in 2024, which won the 2025 European Car of the Year.
Body styles
- Hatchback
- Van
Notable special editions & performance variants
Renault 5 Turbo
Mid-engined, rear-drive homologation rally car producing up to 160 hp — a radical engineering inversion of the ordinary front-drive R5.
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Front-wheel-drive turbocharged hot-hatch variant of the Supercinq, producing around 115–120 hp.
Related models
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