Renault Clio 2004 News

The Franken-freak monster Renault R.S. 16 concept car looks set for production, and certain to come to Australia.

The French brand is beginning with its latest Clio and the Captur crossover. It has already set the direction with show cars and is now translating them into production models, while also focussing on a new SUV direction and its Alpine sports brand.Kia has proven that design can provide significant showroom bait in the 21st century, winning with its Optima and new Rio range, and Renault's design chief Laurens van den Acker is focussed on bringing people back to the French carmaker."The goal is to make people fall in love again with the Renault brand," says van den Acker. "Renault is a very human brand, so we must let our cars be emotional, be French."He admits it's a tough challenge, but believes he has the design team and management backing to win. "If it was easy, everybody would do it. You should try hard things, because then you separate yourselves from the rest."Van den Acker arrived at Renault after 15 years in the USA and Japan, including time at Mazda, and has a smart way of describing the latest French lineup. "The Clio is like a university student, young and full of ideas," he says."The Megane is a student that has just started working, in the first three years. He is looking up and wants to become his boss. The Laguna is the managing director. The car needs to have status and seriousness."But van den Acker - who is known throughout the car world for his collection of crazy shoes - sees an opening for Renault. "While we are getting more Latin … and emotional … I see a lot of brands becoming more Germanic. I think we can find a more open space."We're closer in spirit to the old Ferraris of the 1960s." He says Renault is developing an iconic 'face', something all brands now want, as well as translating his design direction into SUVs."I think a good identity is an identity you can recognise without a badge. That's the sign of a good face." Van den Acker has visited Australia many times and knows Renault needs to leverage some of its upscale European appeal."Australia plays a lot more on the Renault Sport image. It gives us credibility. It gives us the link with Formula One, which is considered premium worldwide." He also knows that, in a showroom scene where Audi sets the cabin standard and even Holden is following with its VF upgrade, Renault is playing catch-up."I would still rate us as OK. We've become more fun in the interior, especially with Clio. But I think we still have a long way to go in perceived quality. It wasn't our first priority. We first had to get ourselves in the showrooms with a good looking car."For van den Acker, there is a surprising parallel between good design and romance, right up to the Alpine sports car currently being developed at Renault. "A concept car is like a one-night stand. Then you need to create a good marriage for a production car. The exterior needs to seduce and the interior is where you live. You want it to be a good quality life."What, then about Alpine?"It's a quickie," he laughs. The bottom line for Renault design is an all-new line, starting with a couple of show cars that will break cover later this year. "You will see some fun show cars from us this year. I look at concept cars to sell the direction. The design is going to make a difference."There is a sense of revolution at present. What I like, coming to Renault, is you can do anything you want. And find an intellectual reason to get away with it. I think anybody could use a bit of craziness. And god knows Renault can use it." 

And Renault is promising the same cutting-edge approach to Clio pricing to finally give it a serious light car contender. A full Renault Clio range presumably including the SportsTourer wagon recently spied testing in Europe will go on sale in Australia midway through next year, replacing the existing Renault Clio Sport, which was the only model of the third-generation car offered here.The new Renault Clio adopts the styling of the widely-praised DeZir concept car. As a result, it sits lower and wider on the road. The gap between the tyres and the flared wheel arches has also been reduced to improve its profile and the combined changes make it one of the best-looking light cars on the road.Renault is following the Mini and Audi A1 lead in having a huge range of exterior colour options for the Clio, which will come with LED daytime running lights and scalloped doors with chrome-highlighted lower inserts. The same customization will apply inside with options for the air vent surrounds, gear-shift base, door panels and dash.The interior picks up the seven-inch tablet-style display screen, set in an otherwise uncluttered dash. Renault Australia spokeswoman Emily Ambrosy says the company is working hard to ensure the touchscreen’s optional “R-Link” applications-based functionality comes on line soon.The R-Link launches in Europe with around 50 apps that be downloaded from within the car (using a connected Bluetooth smartphone) or loaded via PC. “We want R-Link. It’s the latest in-car technology and works off the steering wheel controls or with voice recognition, but we need to verify which apps will be available in Australia,” Ambrosy says. “We’re likely to launch with (the basic) MediaNav system, but expect to see R-Link sooner rather than later.”Renault Australia has yet to confirm which engines we’ll take, but the likely candidates are the three new engines announced for the car which will be officially unveiled at this week’s Paris Motor Show. The entry point is a 900cc triple-cylinder with 68kW/135Nm that uses a meagre 4.3L/100km, followed by a direct-injection turbo 1.2-litre four-cylinder that ups the power ante to 90kW/190Nm and will come with the option of a dual-clutch automated manual transmission.The headline act at least in terms of fuel use is a 1.5-litre turbo diesel that in European spec is said to use just 3.2L/100km while generating 68kW/220Nm. The hot-hatch RS version will follow late in 2013 and is expected to use a 150kW turbo 1.6-litre engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters. If existing Renault Sport models such as the Megane RS 265 are any example, expect it to be one of the best driving cars in the class. 

After being withdrawn from local showrooms in the late naughties when it got too costly against its competition, the French baby is set for a significant slot in the growing Renault range. The fourth-generation Clio is going public next month at the Paris motor show and is set for showrooms down under by the middle of next year, priced from the $16,000 range. It's role is to bring more people to Renault and build on recent sales successes that have produced a 30 per cent jump this year, including an all-time record in June. "We have an appetite for growth," the head of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, tells Carsguide. "What's missing is what Renault has always done very well, and that's the smallest hatch." The company's sales reached 2350 cars by the end of July, up from 1808 at the same time a year earlier, and he believes everything from a better warranty coverage to low-cost finance - and even a television commercial shot in Sydney - has helped. "Every stone is being turned. We're improving the relevance to the local market," Hocevar says. "We're about 30 per cent up on last year. And last year was a good year for us, as we were up just shy of 90 per cent. "What are we doing to try and break through to be mainstream? Everything. At almost every level of the business there has been substantive change." The Renault Sport version of the Clio has maintained a skeleton presence in Australia over the past two years, although even it is now struggling as it enters its twilight. So the revival plan for 2013 is built around the mainstream five-door hatchback and a choice of petrol and diesel engines, a move intended to position the Clio against the better of the small-car babies, including the Polo and 2. "It's about trying to break through and become mainstream. We're improving the relevance to the local market," Hocevar says. Renault has already revealed the new look for Clio 4, which includes a hatchback shape that's more like a coupe. Full specifications and the model lineup will come at the Paris show, including a Carsguide preview drive, but Hocevar is not intending to go early on the details. "What's the price point? It's too early to announce, but it's fair to say we're akin a more aggressive approach to position it in the marketplace. "Natural competitors are the Mazda2 through to Polo. Price? Let's say high teens. "We'll tend to favour a relatively high level of specification. We've got a five-year warranty which some of the others don't, and our servicing is once a year." Hocevar knows the Clio has failed before but believes he knows the reason for a campaign that fizzled out with heavily-discounted sales to rental companies. "It took off reasonably well, and they did 1700 cars in the first full year. What didn't work in that vehicle's favour was currency. By about 2006 the dollar-to-Euro rate was completely different to what it is today." Hocevar confirms Clio 4 will hit around the middle of new year, with the Renault Sport model about six months later. And he says the born-again Clio 4 just the start of a longer-term product offensive. "Have we reached the point of crossing over into mainstream? No we haven't. That's a longer burn for us, and a case of careful management to achieve that goal," he says.  

The  all-new Clio coming from France will sit at the bottom of a revitalised range that's already delivering record results in showrooms. The new Clio reflects the latest design direction from Paris, as well as a renewed commitment to a light-class car where it will go head-to-head with everything from the Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 to the Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia with a likely starting price below $20,000. The Clio was withdrawn from Australian showrooms back in 2007 after a period of dismal sales with a car which was under-done and over-priced for Australia, eventually failing to even win worthwhile support as a cut-priced rental car. "It's a no-brainer that we need the new Clio. It's definitely coming," says Emily Ambrosy of Renault Australia. "It's going to get people into the brand, and it's the latest design statement for Renault. We're going to have a full range of models up to the RenaultSport Clio. "At the moment we only have the RenaultSport version of the Clio. It's doing well, but it's getting close to the end of its life. She says the Clio will have a very different role under the new regime at Renault Australia. "A lot has changed. Renault Australia has changed, and we're on a trajectory of growth. We had our biggest month ever in June, which was 540 cars. And we see Clio as being fundamental to continuing that growth in the future."  The new Clio has just been revealed in France and will be seen publicly for the first time at the Paris motor show in September. It will be nearly a year before the first cars reach Australia, with the hotrod RenaultSport model unlikely until the final months of 2013. "It will be here around the middle of next year. The regular models will come first, and then the RenaultSport cars about six months later. That's the same staggered timing as Europe, with RenaultSport Clio coming later." The Clio has been part of the Renault bedrock since 1990, with more than 11.5 million sold in more than 115 countries, but the newcomer is more stylish than in the past. "New Clio is set to make a real mark. In addition to an unprecedented package of innovations, it's design marks a major shift from that of previous models," says Carlos Tavares, chief operating office of Renault. The design of the car is much edgier, and is the first work of new styling chief Laurens van den Acker - formerly of Audi, Ford and Mazda - to his the road. Renault describes the shape of the Clio as 'voluptuous curves' and promises a cabin that is 'safe, protective and refreshing'. The technology package - not confirmed yet for Australia - includes an 18-centimetre touch screen and access to what Renault claims as the world's first automotive App store for its R-Link system. There is even a potential choice of six engine noises that can be piped into the cabin through the sound system. Mechanically, the headliner is a three-cylinder 900cc turbocharged petrol engine with the promise of 99 grams/kilometre of CO2 emissions. Renault Australia is already committed to the baby engine and the full package of models and equipment, but pricing is a long way from settled. "We are going to have the full thing. We'll have entry-level cars, petrol and diesel, manual and automatic. We see it as being one of our biggest models," says Ambrosy. "We haven't got the pricing yet. But it's a heavily competitive segment and we need to be sharply priced."  

The new Clio will be offered only in five-door form and will be manufactured in France and Turkey - with the attractive European car expected to reach Australia in mid 2013. Inspired by the DeZir concept car, the styling features a more prominent Renault logo on the front along with LED daytime running lights and chrome detailed headlights. The door lines also seem influenced by the concept car with distinct curves and lower door inserts. The Clio will be offered with the largest range of personalisation options for the French car manufacturer. Door mirror housings, grill bars, rear skirts and even a choice of roof graphics can be specified. The new car will also ride lower and have a wider track compared to the current third generation Clio. A seven-inch internet-ready touchscreen tablet will be offered as an option. Known as Renault R-link this system will offer voice commands, applications to encourage more efficient driving, TomTom satellite navigation as well as a range of downloadable apps. Notably they’ll have an option of a simulated engine sound effect app which will be synchronised with the car’s speed and acceleration. Europe will get two petrol engine options. The TCe 90 engine is a three-cylinder turbo charged 0.9 litre with output of 67kW and 135Nm and fuel consumption of 4.3 litres per 100km. This will be offered alongside the TCe 120, which is a 1.2-litre turbo and boasts figures of 89kW/190Nm. The new diesel engine on offer is the dCi 90. The four-cylinder 1.5-litre returns fuel consumption figures of 3.2 litres per 100km and outputs 67kW and 220Nm of torque. The latter two engine options can be paired with a brand new dual clutch six-speed transmission and all engines will feature stop-start technology. Safety ratings are yet to be determined but expectations are high for the new car, given that the Clio III was the first B-segment car to achieve five-star EuroNCAP in 2005. The Renaultsport version is expected to be released later in 2013 and will feature a 1.6-litre turbo charged engine. Representing a departure from the their traditional 2-litre naturally aspirated engines, the new power plant is predicted to at least match the 147.5kW output of the current model. Previewed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week, the new hero car in the Clio range will also be able to be paired with the six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Further details on the new range are expected in September at the Paris Motor Show.  

It is already set for local sales, continuing the emphasis on hot hatches with a RenaultSport twist."In Paris they will have the Clio 4 and that will be the first of the production cars with the new design cues," says Rudi Koenig, managing director of Renault Australia."We have the Clio Sport in the current generation and will have the same in the next generation. Whether we get the rest of the range depends on the price. At the moment the Clio is not price competitive."Koenig says the Clio will follow the new compact Megane as Renault looks to recover lost ground in showrooms."Our sales haven't been as strong as we would have expected. The timing hasn't worked for us," he says."Our new models are coming from the last quarter. We'll catch up and have a good year next year."

The baby-car world was dominated by a single star through the 1990s.The Hyundai Excel was the benchmark for every rival – on price, style and sales – until the death of the Korean king led to a fundamental shift in the noughties.Now the lightweight division is split down the middle and there are two separate contests: one powered by price, the other by class. In the price group are people buying their first new car, usually on a tight budget with less emphasis on features, and the class group wants a compact car for city work or as a second vehicle in the family garage.The bargain-basement contenders are battling in the sub-$15,000 range, just as they did when the Excel was the pacemaker, while the starting price for seriously good babies is close to $17,000 and can run to well beyond $20,000.Toyota changed the game last year when it decided to lob its baby Echo with a sub-$15,000 bottom line including power steering and airconditioning.Although the price has crept up to $14,790, it is still the sales leader. In the first quarter of this year Echo grabbed more than 20 per cent of light-car sales, reflecting the strength of the Toyota brand...despite the design being five years old.Hyundai is still playing the price game with the boxy little Getz. It's second to the Echo in the price fight and leading the Korean contenders against a line-up which includes a broad range of imports, including the Holden-badged but Opel-designed Barina.At the top end of the business, the Japanese really are on top. The classy Mazda2 and Honda Jazz set the standard for shoppers with plenty of cash to splash, even if Ford has arrived – far too late after the loss of its top-selling Korean-made Festiva – with a European Fiesta which is the light star of 2004.The $14,490 starting price for the Fiesta is going to create plenty of action in Ford showrooms, because the blue-oval baby is a good drive and well designed. But buyers will still have to add $2000 for airconditioning – a crippling extra in such a price-sensitive arena.But that's typical of the light-car class.There is always something new, always a price leader and a class champion, and they're all elbowing for space in a bargain basement that introduces many people to their first new car.This is how the Cars Guide team rates them:1. MAZDA2Lowdown: Five-door hatch with 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 82kW and priced from $17,490.Verdict: Another direct hit by MazdaPlus: Quality and comfortMinus: Pricey for the sizeRating: 18/20The baby Mazda is one of the stars of the Japanese company's product-driven comeback.Mazda battled through the 1990s with outdated and cost-down cars that were a poor reflection of the brand's traditional strengths, but when it got serious – with Ford funding – it cranked out the classy Mazda6, RX-8 and Mazda3.The smallest of the crop is the Mazda2, but it has the condensed strengths from the same design team and gene pool.That means it looks good, drives well and is built to class-leader quality.2. HONDA JAZZLowdown: Five-door hatch with 1.3-litre (61kW) or 1.5-litre (81kW) four-cylinder engine, priced from $15,990Verdict: Stylish and practical but harsh ridePlus: Good looks, versatile cabinMinus: Bouncy rideRating: 17/20The Jazz outsold the Mazda2 by 1280 in the first four months of 2004, and that comes down to price and funky looks.It's really a 21st-century Civic, as compact as the original and just as trendy for young buyers.Honda was smart to start with a 1.3-litre motor below $16,000, but doesn't scrimp on the cabin. It's comfortable for four and the seats fold to carry almost any load.People who want the best go straight to the punchy VTi-S with all the fruit for $22,490.3. FORD FIESTALowdown: Three-door and five-door hatch powered by a 74kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, from $14,490Verdict: Perky and enjoyablePlus: Goes well, roomy insideMinus: Cheap-ish plastics, finishRating: 16/20Ford went backwards with the Ka, which didn't have the space or automatic to compete, but it now has the right sales ingredients.The Fiesta is a star in Europe and way better than the long-dead Festiva, a Korean version of the previous Mazda 121.It drives well, has plenty of space and is good value, thanks partly to the strength of the Australian dollar.The Fiesta just edges the Toyota Echo and the Hyundai Getz out of the final medal spot in the light-car class.HYUNDAI GETZ 16/20Price: From $13,490Engines: 1.3-litre (60kW) and 1.5-litre (74kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch and five-door hatchNot an Excel, but still packed with Hyundai strengths.TOYOTA ECHO 16/20Price: From $14,740Engines: 1.3-litre (63kW) and 1.5-litre (80kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch and five-door sedan.Shows age inside, but Toyota has done well to keep the price sharp.HOLDEN BARINA 16/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.4-litre (66kW) and 1.8-litre (92kW)Body styles: Three-door and five-doorLooks good and drives well, with bonus deal adding appeal. CITROEN C3 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (57kW) and 1.6-litre (83kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchOne of the funkiest babies on sale in Australia. The engine is dozy and there are some quality niggles.RENAULT CLIO 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (72kW), 1.6-litre (79kW) and 2.0-litre (124kW)Body styles: sedan and hatchNot as trendy as the bigger Megane with the J.Lo rump, but still a solid effort from the French brand.VOLKSWAGEN POLO 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (55kW)Body styles: hatchToo costly by far. The Polo is a nice car but smaller than many rivals, and Volkswagen doesn't do enough in Australia to compensate.PEUGEOT 206 13/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre, 1.6-litre (80kW) and 1.8-litre (100kW and 130kW)Body styles: hatchLIKE the C3, the Peugeot is too much and too little. The price is too high and the cabin too cramped.SMART FORTWO 13/20Price: From $21,900Engines: 0.7-litre (45kW)Body styles: Two-door coupeThe smallest and trendiest of the light cars is a phonebox-on-wheels that will only be bought by the trendiest shoppers.DAEWOO KALOS 12/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (62kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch, five-door sedanA good Korean effort – compact and good-looking but trails in refinement and design.MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 12/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.5-litre (69kW)Body styles: Three-door hatchMitsubishi has kept the price competitive, the body is still stylish, and there is potential to add some Evo-style body bits.DAIHATSU SIRION 10/20Price: From $13,250Engines: 1.0-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchbackThe Sirion is the best of the Daihatsu contenders, with a roomy cabin and passable power, but it is let down by the driving experience.DAIHATSU YRV 10/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.5-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchThe funk leader in the D-brand line-up shows what's missing from the mix, with clunky controls and sub-standard driving dynamics.KIA RIO 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (71kW)Body styles: Four-door sedan or five-door wagonThe wagon option gives it a unique selling point, but the sedan was one of the worst cars we drove last year.PROTON SATRIA 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (64kW) and 1.8-litre (99kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch, five-door hatchAnother oldie that struggles to do anything but fill showroom space.SUZUKI IGNIS 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.3-litre (61kW) and 1.5-litre (83kW)Body styles: HatchThe baby box doesn't have enough of anything. Suzuki hasn't had enough cash to continue.DAIHATSU CHARADE 8/20Price: From $11,950Engines: 1.0-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchThe great name is all that remains from one of the earliest bargain-basement stars. Today's Charade is cheap and unimpressive.