Renault’s bold new Clio exposed

02nd November 2009

EXCLUSIVE: Renault is planning a radical new Clio! And our French sister magazine, Auto Plus, has blown its cover with these exclusive pictures.

Available in the three and five-door bodystyles shown here, and eventually as a Sport Tourer estate, the 2011 Clio promises to be greener than any of its predecessors and marks a new design direction for the firm.

In fact, this will be one of the last cars to make production under the stewardship of Patrick Le Quément – the firm’s design director – and he’s looking to go out with a bang.

Hard creases on the current car’s profile are replaced by more flowing lines which not only give a sportier look, but help to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Longer headlights and larger air intakes either side of the main grille mark out the fresh face, and are cues that could make it on to other models in the future.

In profile, blacked-out pillars give a boomerang-shape to the side glass area, while a prominent roof spoiler boosts the Clio’s racy appeal. And despite sitting on the same platform as the outgoing car, the new model will be longer and lower.

Auto Plus’ sources have revealed that Renault is planning to shun stop-start technology, but will look to smaller-capacity turbo petrol engines to boost efficiency.

It will also introduce a new clean-burning 1.6 dCi unit. However, Renault’s zero-emissions Zoe concept, which is based on the Clio and we’ve driven this week on Page 8, has been earmarked for production in 2012.