Return of Renaultsport? Brand to show 'proposals' for hot Renaults

Renault is exploring the viability of new performance models – and it will show “first proposals” within the next year, its CEO has said.

Its last true dedicated sporting model was the fourth-generation Mégane RS hot hatch, which went out of production in 2023 with the 296bhp Ultime run-out special.

Renault has been experimenting again with sportier models recently, bringing to market the highly limited £140,000 5 Turbo 3E – a 533bhp hyper hatch that was created as a statement of intent for what a Renault performance EV is capable of.

Asked if the brand would consider launching anything more volume-focused and affordable in the sporting segment, boss Fabrice Cambolive told Autocar at the Munich motor show: “Yes, we are exploring some others. We will come to you with some proposals in the next 12 months."

On the viability of such a car or series of cars, Cambolive said that “we have to find the right balance” between cost and demand before approval will be given.

To that end, Renault Clio product line manager Emmanuel de Jesus Pequeno recently told Autocar that a hot version of the new sixth-generation supermini is not currently on the cards. This is because of the "compromise" between the level of investment required to transform it into a hot hatch and the level of demand anticipated.

Renault would most likely be required to redevelop the previous Mk4 Clio RS's 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine or the Alpine A110's punchier 1.8 to meet future emissions regulations, which could prove prohibitvely costly.

Although the new "proposals" could resurrect the Renaultsport moniker, Cambolive hinted that the Renault Group could decide to continue using the Alpine brand exclusively for dedicated sports cars.

In February, then CEO Luca de Meo described Renaultsport to Autocar as being “in the fridge” and said that while “everything sporty would be building on Alpine”, that “doesn't mean that sometimes this thing wouldn’t be revived”.

Furthering his point, de Meo said: “I’ve been asked why the new 3E Turbo is not an Alpine, and I said ‘sorry, because the 5 Turbo was never an Alpine, it was a Renault, and if you want to do something authentic, you gotta respect the history of the thing'.”