It is the second best-selling car in Europe — behind the Volkswagen Golf — and the best-selling Renault. The current Renault Clio (4th generation), launched in 2012, is taking great steps towards the end of its career, so a successor is already on the horizon.
The presentation of the fifth generation of Clio is scheduled for the next Paris Motor Show (opens in October) and commercialization for the end of this year or beginning of 2019.
The year 2017 was marked by the renewal of its main rivals, precisely those who struggle most on the European sales chart — the Volkswagen Polo and the Ford Fiesta. The French brand's counterattack will be carried out with new technological arguments: from the introduction of new engines — one of which is electrified — to the introduction of technology associated with autonomous driving.
Contrary to what you might think, it's not just Clio or Mégane that guarantee Renault's leadership in Portugal. Even in commercials, the French brand refuses to leave the credits in someone else's hands...
Focus on evolution
The new Renault Clio will keep the base of the current one — the CMF-B, which we can also find in the Nissan Micra —, so no expressive dimensional changes are expected. Consequently, the exterior design will bet more on evolution than on revolution. The current Clio maintains a dynamic and appealing design, so the biggest differences may appear at the edges — rumors refer to the Renault Symbioz as the main source of inspiration.Promise of better materials
The interior should undergo more profound changes, with statements by Laurens van den Acker, the brand's design director, in this regard. The aim of the designer and his team is to make Renault's interiors as appealing as their exteriors.
The central screen will remain present, but should grow in size, with a vertical orientation. But it may be accompanied by a fully digital instrument panel, as we can already see on the Volkswagen Polo.
But the biggest leap should occur in terms of materials, which will rise in presentation and quality — one of the most criticized points of the current generation.
Everything new under the bonnet
In the chapter on engines, the new 1.3-litre four-cylinder Energy TCe engine will be an absolute debut . Also the three 0.9 liter cylinders will be extensively revised — it is estimated that the unit displacement will rise to 333 cm3, coinciding with the 1.3 and raising the total capacity from 900 to 1000 cm3.Also a debut is the arrival of a semi-hybrid version (mild hybrid). Unlike the Renault Scénic Hybrid Assist which combines a diesel engine with a 48V electrical system, the Clio will combine the electrical system with a gasoline engine. It is the simplest and most affordable option in the progressive electrification of the car — a Clio plug in is not foreseen, due to the high associated costs.
What remains in doubt is the permanence of dCI diesel engines. This is due to the rising costs of Diesels — not only the engines themselves, but also the exhaust gas treatment systems — but also the bad publicity and threats of bans they have suffered since Dieselgate, which already negatively affects sales in the Europe.
Renault Clio is also on a diet
In addition to the new engines, the reduction in CO2 emissions by the new Clio will also be achieved through weight loss. The lessons learned by the Eolab concept, presented in 2014, should be carried over to the new utility. From the use of new materials — such as aluminum and magnesium — to thinner glass, to the simplification of the braking system, which in the case of the Eolab saved around 14.5 kg.
And Clio RS?
Nothing is known, for now, about the new generation of the hot hatch. The current generation, criticized for its double-clutch gearbox, convinced, however, on the sales charts. We can only speculate.
Will the manual gearbox come back in addition to the EDC (double clutch), as it happens on the Megane RS? Will you trade the 1.6 for the 1.8 debuted on the Alpine A110 and used by the new Megane RS? Renault Espace has a 225 hp version of this engine, numbers quite appropriate for a new Clio RS. We can only wait.
