Clio Renaultsport Cup 200

RENAULT has added standard leather upholstery and some additional interior flourishes to the Clio RS hot hatch while maintaining its $36,490 starting price.

The additions to the Renaultsport Clio Cup 200 come before the unveiling of an all-new model at the Paris motor show in September.

In line with the leather upholstery upgrade, the French car-maker has changed the stitching on the sports steering wheel from yellow to red and made the face of the speedometer white instead of yellow.

The colour choice for the feisty hatch has been whittled down from six to four, leaving buyers with a choice of black, yellow, red or blue.

Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar said the addition of standard leather will appeal to buyers.

“I love driving the Clio RS it is one of my absolute favourites,” he said. “You just can’t get out of the Clio without having a big smile on your face, thanks to the engine’s grunt and the chassis’s grip.”

The RS is currently the only Clio available in Australia, but that looks set to change when the next-generation model arrives in mid-2013.

As reported by GoAuto last year, Renault is keen to expand the Clio range in Australia to tap into the growing popularity of light cars.

The French pocket rocket’s main competitor in the light hot hatch segment is the popular Volkswagen Polo GTI.

With only the one niche variant available, the Clio has sold in relatively small numbers in Australia, just 11 examples finding homes in the first four months of 2012.