Renault to Unveil All-New Clio Mk4 Next Week Ahead of Paris Motor Show Debut

We just received word from Renault that the next generation of the Clio supermini will make its online debut on Tuesday, July 3, which coincidentally, is the same day McLaren will premiere the new MP4-12C Spider.

For now, the French carmaker is keeping a tight lid on any official information regarding the Clio, but through our spy photos, we can reveal that the fourth-generation model will sport a sharper design with the five-door model featuring hidden rear-door handles to create the allusion of a three-door hatch.

Read more »

SPIED: Renault's New Clio RS Hot Hatch Caught for the Very First Time!

These are the very first spy photos of the high-performance model of the soon-to-be-released 2013 Renault Clio supermini, which we will come to know as the Clio RenaultSport or Clio RS.

But wait, how do we know for sure that the camouflaged prototype seen in these photos is indeed the next Clio RS?

Well, that's fairly easy to answer as despite the swirly foil wrap, Renault's engineers made no efforts to hide the rest of the car's trademark racy styling parts.

These include a new front bumper with a wider lower grille sporting a splitter to improve the car's aerodynamics, side skirts, a slightly larger roof spoiler, and a new rear bumper that incorporates a visible diffuser and most telling, a pair of rectangular shaped exhaust pipes on either corner.

Read more »

Spied: 2013 Renault Clio Supermini Reveals a Little More Skin

These are the latest spy pictures of the next generation Renault Clio hatchback, to be revealed at the upcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show this September before it goes on sale initially in Europe by the end of the year and other markets around the world shortly after.

This time, Renault's engineers had stripped away some of the camouflage affording us a new look at the car's front and rear lights as well as the hidden rear-door handles.

Read more »

Spied: 2013 Renault Clio Mk4 Continues Testing Prior to Paris Motor Show Debut

One of the most important vehicles in Renault's lineup from a sales perspective, the Clio, will soon give its place to a brand new model that promises to bring a radical redesign of both the exterior and interior as well better materials and higher quality throughout.

The fourth generation of the Clio will bow at the upcoming 2012 Paris Motor Show at the end of September and go on sale shortly after.

Read more »

Dramatic Rescue of Polish Racers Trapped in Renault Clio that Flipped into a Lake

Video footage of a chilling incident that serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by racing drivers has surfaced online.

The accident took place in Poland during the first stage of the 2012 Mazowiecki Rally when a Renault Clio racecar crashed and flipped over landing into a pond, roof first trapping both the driver, Patrick Osowiecki and his navigator, Maciej Wrona.

The two men were under water tied up in their racing bucket seats.

Luckily for them, even though there were no officials around, rally fans came to their rescue almost immediately saving them from the worst. You can watch the dramatic footage in the video after the jump.

Read more »

Dramatic Rescue of Polish Racers Trapped in Renault Clio that Flipped into a Lake

Video footage of a chilling incident that serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by racing drivers has surfaced online.

The accident took place in Poland during the first stage of the 2012 Mazowiecki Rally when a Renault Clio racecar crashed and flipped over landing into a pond, roof first trapping both the driver, Patrick Osowiecki and his navigator, Maciej Wrona.

The two men were under water tied up in their racing bucket seats.

Luckily for them, even though there were no officials around, rally fans came to their rescue almost immediately saving them from the worst. You can watch the dramatic footage in the video after the jump.

Read more »

Is This the First Official Teaser of the New Renault Clio IV?

A cropped image allegedly showing the rear quarters of the next generation of the Renault Clio titled "Nouvelle Renalt Clio, Mondial de Paris 2012" has been making the internet rounds today after it was first posted on the Planeterenault forums.

The snapshot was reportedly taken from Renault's general shareholder meeting in Paris on Friday, April 27.

The shape of the rear passenger window with the hidden door handle and the lines around the lights match those of the prototype models we have seen testing in Europe over the past few months, so it is very likely that the picture is indeed the real deal.

Read more »

Is This the First Official Teaser of the New Renault Clio IV?

A cropped image allegedly showing the rear quarters of the next generation of the Renault Clio titled "Nouvelle Renalt Clio, Mondial de Paris 2012" has been making the internet rounds today after it was first posted on the Planeterenault forums.

The snapshot was reportedly taken from Renault's general shareholder meeting in Paris on Friday, April 27.

The shape of the rear passenger window with the hidden door handle and the lines around the lights match those of the prototype models we have seen testing in Europe over the past few months, so it is very likely that the picture is indeed the real deal.

Read more »

Cam Shaft Turns the Renault Clio 200 RS Cup into a Track Racer

German car wrapping specialist Cam Shaft has made its own Clio RS R3 track racer (of sorts) out of the sportiest version of the French hatch.

The company started out by stripping the Clio RS' interior down to bare studs and then adding an assortment of race-specification goods ranging from a full roll-cage and a pair of Sparco bucket seats to the LCD instrument panel and removable Sparco steering wheel.

Read more »

Polish Racer Loses Control of Renault Clio RS and Violently Smashes into a Tree

Rallying or any type of motorsports for that matter, and accidents go hand in hand, which is why the governing bodies around the world have mandated a series of safety measures for both drivers and their vehicles.

In the video that follows past the break, we see the driver of a lightly modified Renault Clio RS losing control of the vehicle and violently smashing into a tree during what appears to be a rally event in Poland.

While definitely shaken from the incident, he managed to walk away unhurt.

Read more »

Renault Launches Pricey Clio R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7 Edition and Special Mégane R.S F1 Show Cars

Only a few days before this year's Formula 1 season kicks off with the inaugural Australian GP in Melbourne on Sunday, Renault released a special edition version of its sporty Clio R.S. 200 hatch to celebrate its F1 Constructors’ title with Red Bull Racing in 2011.

The Clio R.S. Red Bull Racing RB7 is a limited production model that will be marketed in five countries: France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria.

Renault will begin accepting orders in these markets on March 14, with the car’s price in France set at €27,900 (US$36,660), or a little over €4,000 on top of the price of the regular Clio R.S. 200.

Read more »

SPY SHOTS: All-New 2013 Renault Clio Looks Set for Paris Motor Show Debut

The last time we caught up with a prototype of the next generation Renault Clio, our spies had spotted a test mule, meaning that the French company's engineers were trying out the new chassis under the current model's body shell.

No more of that as our man with the long lens nabbed the actual production model attempting to hide under some wiggly camouflage. It may take a while to go through the maze of lines but the shape and the details of the new Clio are pretty clear.

You may not notice it at first, but this is the five-door model as Renault's designers have tried to hide the rear door handles by incorporating them on the corner of the window.

The fourth generation of Clio will be lower and wider than the current model sporting a more dramatic design than the similarly sized, pure-electric Zoe, the production version of which was launched in Geneva this week.

Read more »

Man Drives on the Wrong Side of a Scottish Highway for Miles on End [NSFW]

After watching this video of a man in a Renault Clio driving for miles on end on the wrong way of a highway in Scotland, we can say that without any doubt, the person behind the steering wheel of the French supermini has some loose nuts in his head.

Given the speed he is traveling at, it's actually a miracle that he wasn't involved in a very serious accident. The video footage adorned with some NSFW commentary from the blokes filming the Renault driver follows after the break.

Read more »

PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Renault Say They're Too Thin on Profits by Making Cars in France

In a move that reminds us a lot of what Fiat-Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne told the Italian government not too long ago, both Renault and PSA Peugeot-Citroen executives told French parliamentary officials in separate appearances before the Senate that they can't make a profit from building cars in France.

According to a report from Autonews Europe, the Renault Group was represented by chief operating officer Carlos Tavares, while PSA Peugeot-Citroen sent Denis Martin, executive vice president for industrial operations. Both automakers confirmed the comments.

Tavares told the French commissions that one of Renault's most popular models, the Clio, costs €1,300 (US$1,700) more to produce at the firm's Flins plant in France than in the company's factory in Bursa, Turkey.

Read more »

VW Golf Keeps its Sales Crown in Europe for 2011, Polo Comes in 2nd, Ford Fiesta 3rd

The sixth generation of the Volkswagen Golf is in its final year with a replacement due to be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show this fall, yet it still managed to sell more cars than any other model in Europe in 2011 for a third year in a row, according to data provided from JATO Dynamics.

Volkswagen delivered 484,547 units of the Golf in 2011, down 1.6% over the previous year. The German company also took second spot with the Polo that sold 356,490 cars, up 0.5%, while the Ford Fiesta with 348,465 sales (-13.3%), the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa with 313,325 units (-1.7%) and the Renault Clio with 294,172 (-13.1%) complete the Top 5.

We should note that all Top 10 best-sellers came from either German (7 models) or French (3 models) brands.

JATO Dynamics says that outside the top ten, certain models performed much better than their predecessors did including Peugeot’s new 508, which saw its sales rise almost three times achieved by its predecessor, the 407, in 2010, the new Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max, Citroën C4, BMW X3 and Kia Sportage.

Read more »

Color me Matte: New Renault Clio RS 200 “Ange & Démon” Edition to be Produced in…666 Units

Renault is playing the good versus evil card with its new limited run Clio Renaultsport 200 “Ange & Démon”, which is French for Angels and Demons. Deviously, the bespoke version of the Clio RS will be produced in a…fiendish 666 units worldwide - as most of you already know, that's the number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation.

Buyers can choose among three different matte shades, including Toro Red, Givre Nacré and Hologramme Grey, all of which feature a gloss black finish for the roof, upper tailgate, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, F1-style blade in the front bumper, the door handles and exterior door mirrors.

Read more »

SPIED: Next Generation 2013 Renault Clio Test Mule Shows New Snout

Having already received a mid-life facelift in 2009, four years after its introduction at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, the third generation of the Renault Clio is paving the way for the presentation of an all-new model that is expected to break cover at the next Paris Motor Show in September of 2012.

Our spies caught a test mule of the fourth-generation Clio combining the front end and chassis bits of the new model with the rest of the body panels sources from the current version.

Read more »

MR Car Design Spiffs Up the Renault Clio RS

The Renault Clio RenaultSport or RS 200 for short is considered to be one of the best small hot hatches in Europe. German tuning house MR Car Design believes it can make it a little bit better with a selection of very mild modifications.

MR Car Design starts with the Renault Clio RS 200's 2.0-liter, naturally-aspirated four-banger that produces 200-horses in factory tune. After the fitting of an optimized ECU and a custom exhaust system that includes the Akrapovic-Evolution-System, output is pushed to a more potent 220-horsepower.

Read more »

Renault UK’s Facebook Competition Winner gets to Meet Rihanna and win a Clio

The greatest exploit of marketing is convincing people that it does exist. As Madonna sang once upon a time, we are living in a material world, so marketing execs are always trying to discover new ways to promote their products –and keep their high-end salaries and bonuses intact.

When it comes to cars, things get tricky: the target group isn’t always clearly defined like in other products. That’s because, even though automobiles are considered more of a male hobby, both men and women buy and use them.

Read more »

Renault UK Expands Gordini Lineup with New Clio Models

Only a couple of weeks after the UK launch of the Gordini-badged Wind roadster, and Renault's flourishing Gordini line-up is expanding with the addition of two new versions of the Clio, priced from £14,000. Up until now, only the flagship 200bhp Clio RS could be had with the Gordini package.

The new Clio Gordini is offered in Britain with a three-door body style and a choice of two engines, a 1.6-liter VVT petrol delivering 128-horses for a 0-62 mph sprint time of 9.3 seconds and a combined fuel economy of 42.2 mpg UK, and a 1.5-liter dCi turbo diesel producing 106-horses that returns 62.8 mpg UK on the combined cycle.

Read more »