SPY PICS: Renault Clio GT
Renault is honing a more affordable ‘warm hatch' to sit below the manic Clio RSRenault’s next-gen Clio RS has already been captured by the Carparazzi lensmen, but a less manic ‘warm hatch’ designed to appeal to a more mainstream audience is also in the works.
Likely to wear Clio GT badges, like the current model of the same name in Europe, the newcomer will be less hardcore than the RS, but have enough poke to satisfy most enthusiasts.
The existing Clio GT makes do with a 94kW/155Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the Clio IV it will be supplanted by a tuned version of Renault’s 1.2-litre turbo four-, uprated to around 103kW.
The turbo four-pot will be hooked up to Renault’s new six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which should help maximise its performance potential.
Renault’s programme director for small cars, Benoit Bochard, has been quoted as saying the new Clio GT will have a “bespoke chassis setup to ensure an entertaining drive”.
Unlike previous hot Clios, the new RS and GT will be offered only in five-door guise, although concealed rear door handles give it the look of a three-door.
The accompanying images reveal the car has a muscular stance, with wheel arches filled out by chunky five-spoke alloys shod with low-profile rubber.
The crucial new Clio range, which promises to bring “sexiness and sportiness” back to the brand, will be revealed at this week’s Paris motor show and is scheduled to go on sale by the end of the year.
According to Euro reports, the Clio 4 will have a higher quality interior than the outgoing model, which hasn’t replicated the sales success of its predecessors.
Renault product planning Chief Beatrice Foucher was quoted in Autocar magazine earlier this year saying Renault needed to become “German first and French second”.
She told the UK publication: “We need to improve quality first before we think about design and innovation. There’s just no emotion in the current car so it’s not hard to improve the design and sexiness.”
Styled by Dutchman Laurens van den Acker, who joined Renault from Mazda in 2009, the Clio 4 derives some styling inspiration from the DeZir concept that wowed the 2010 Paris motor show.
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