New-look Clio goes hybrid-only, drops price
THE RENAULT CLIO will now be sold solely with a hybrid powertrain in the UK as part of a mid-life refresh that lowers the price of the E-tech model.
Arriving with a fresh face, updated interior and simplified range of options, the fifth instalment of the French supermini will start from “sub-£22,000”, Renault has told Autocar, undercutting the current hybrid model’s £22,095 entry point.
This is, however, more than the current car’s £19,095 entry price, but that is for an 89bhp 1.0-litre threecylinder petrol model that has been dropped amid the changes to the engine line-up.
The hatchback is now sold with only a 143bhp E-tech powertrain, which combines a 1.6-litre engine with two electric motors, as Renault pushes towards becoming an Ev-only brand from 2030.
A refreshed design makes the Clio a bolder proposition than today’s car – something Renault hopes will help the hatch, launched in 1991, build on its 1.1 million UK lifetime sales and 16 million worldwide.
The changes bring the car into line with Renault’s new corporate look: an enlarged chequered grille, fresh lighting signature, sharper-looking rear and the brand’s new simplified logo. Despite appearing visually bigger, its dimensions are unchanged.
The car is broadly similar inside too, although it is no longer offered with any leather trims and options have been simplified.
Design vice-president Gilles Vidal said: “The new Clio E-tech successfully combines generous shapes and chiselled volumes with very technical, structured, precise and efficient lines.”