Renault Captur and Clio hybrids revealed

Hybrid versions of the new Renault Captur small SUV and new Renault Clio hatch have been revealed.

The new Renault Captur and Clio have both been confirmed for Australian release (by around June and September respectively), but at this stage it's unclear whether they'll be available with the new and more efficient E-Tech powertrains.

Unveiled at the Brussels motor show in Belgium, the plug-in Renault Captur E-Tech Hybrid combines a 1.6-litre four-cylinder with two electric motors and a 9.8kWh battery pack.

In pure-electric mode only, the small Renault SUV is capable of a top speed of 135km/h and covers a WLTP-verified 50km of driving range before petrol power kicks in.

Renault has yet to disclose how powerful the twin electric motors are, but has revealed one is a starter generator and the other is a motor that drives the rear pair of wheels.

According to the French car-maker, the gearbox does without a clutch as the larger electric motor drives the little SUV off the line.

Both electric motors are also claimed to work in unison to deliver the smoothest of gear changes, while delivering astonishing levels of efficiency.

Ahead of its launch Renault says the Captur E-Tech is capable of averaging 1.5L/100km while emitting just 34g/km of CO2.

Like many other car-makers offering plug-in hybrids, Renault's E-Tech system comes with different driving modes that tailor the powertrain to the environment and enable electric power to be saved for city driving later on.

Renault has also applied its E-Tech powertrain to the new Clio – but simplified it for the smaller supermini, meaning it only weighs 10kg more than the diesel variant.

Biggest change is there's no plug-in facility and the Clio E-Tech Hybrid gets a small 1.2kWh battery that relies on regenerative braking for recharging.

Despite this, Renault says in most cases 80 per cent of urban driving can be completed in 100 per cent electric driving mode, helping cut localised emissions.

Compared to a typical Clio, Renault says in urban conditions the Clio E-Tech Hybrid is up to 40 per cent more efficient.

In electric mode the Clio hybrid is said to be able to crack 75km/h.

The official claim is the smaller electrified Renault will emit less than 100g/km of CO2 under the stricter WLTP testing regime.

To help identify both the plug-in Captur and the electrified Clio, both models get unique badging and instrument panels with hybrid graphics and menus designed to aid efficient driving.

On sale in Europe later this month, both the Captur E-Tech plug-in and the Clio E-Tech Hybrid are part of Renault's plan to roll out eight pure-electric vehicles and 12 hybrid or plug-in models by 2022.