Geneva show: Renault Clio hybrid no go for Oz

RENAULT has divulged powertrain details on its fifth-generation Clio light hatchback launching in Australia early next year, but the French brand’s local arm will forgo the petrol-electric hybrid option.

 

Speaking to GoAuto, Renault Australia special projects and corporate communications manager Elena Woods said “it is still too early to confirm final engines for the Clio V in Australia”, but “at the moment, hybrid is not in the proposed line-up”.

 

Headlining overseas versions for now will be a new E-Tech hybrid powertrain which pairs a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 1.2kWh battery, and features regenerative braking and a new multi-mode gearbox.

 

Though outputs and fuel economy are yet to be revealed, Renault says the system will “make it possible to drive up to 80 per cent of the time in all-electric mode in the city, for a gain of up to 40 per cent in fuel consumption when compared with a conventional internal-combustion petrol engine in an urban cycle”.

 

Spearheaded by Renault engineers, the new hybrid powertrain also draws in components – such as the 1.6-litre engine – from other Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance partners, although specifics are yet to be fully detailed.

 

Opening the new Clio range however, will be a pair of 1.0-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder engines producing either 48kW or 56kW of power and 95Nm of torque, paired to a five-speed manual gearbox.

 

Australian versions are expected to forgo these engines however, and could open with a turbocharged 1.0-litre TCe 100 three pot that outputs 75kW/160Nm, which would better keep pace with the fifth-generation Clio’s light hatchback competitors.

 

A revision of the existing engine that opens the current Clio range, performance is up from 66kW/135Nm thanks to an electronically controlled recirculating valve, twin variable valve timing for the intake and bore spray coating.

 

Renault is also promising better fuel consumption figures and lower CO2 emissions in the new engine, which in the current Clio are pegged at 4.8 litres per 100km and 110 grams per kilometre respectively.

 

Available initially paired to a five-speed manual, Renault plans to introduce an X-Tronic continuously variable automatic transmission down the line.

 

The top-spec petrol engine until higher-performing RS variants appear will be a 97kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.3-litre TCe 130 four-cylinder unit, which will be paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch EDC automatic transmission.

 

Finally, overseas customers will also have the option of a duo of 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engines – either a 63kW/220Nm or 86kW/260Nm tune – that are unlikely to make their way Down Under as the current range features no oil-burning option.

 

Safety equipment will also be boosted in the changeover to new-generation form, with adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, lane keep assist, surround-view monitor and traffic sign recognition all available.

 

Full details, including local pricing, are expected closer to the new Renault Clio’s launch in 2020.

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