Renault Clio |
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Wikipedia: Renault Clio
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Renault Clio page on 14 September 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Renault Clio is a supermini car, produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. It was launched in 1990, and was in its fourth generation in 2012. The Clio has had substantial critical and commercial success, being consistently one of Europe's top-selling cars since its launch, and it is largely credited with restoring Renault's reputation and stature after a difficult second half of the 1980s. The Clio is one of only two cars, the other being the Volkswagen Golf, to have been voted European Car of the Year twice, in 1991 and 2006.
The Clio is sold as the Renault Lutecia in Japan because Honda retains the rights to the name Clio after establishing the Honda Clio sales channel in 1984. Lutecia is derived from the word Lutetia, a former Roman city that is now known as Paris.
Clio I (1990–1998)
The Clio was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in June 1990 and sales in France and the rest of the continent began then, although sales in Britain did not begin until March 1991. The Clio largely replaced the Renault 5 Mk2, although this car remained in production until 1996 at a factory in Slovenia, where some versions of the Clio were later built. The Clio's suspension and floorpan were largely the same as the 5, which in turn was the same as the all-new 9 saloon of 1981 and Renault 11 hatchback of 1983 - not that of the original 1972 Renault 5, despite the later 5 visually resembling the original model.
Half-width torsion bars (full-width on higher spec models) with trailing arms at the rear, and coil sprung MacPherson struts, attached to a thick pressed steel subframe at the front. The engine range available at launch included 1.2 L and 1.4 L E-type "Energy" petrol inline-four engines (first seen in the Renault 19) and 1.7 L and 1.9 L diesel engines, both based on the F-type unit. The petrol engines gradually had their carburettors replaced with electronic fuel injection systems by the end of 1992, in order to conform to ever stricter pollutant emission regulations brought in by the EEC.
Clio II (1998–2012)
The second generation of the Clio was launched in Spring 1998 and sold for less than €8,000, with considerably more rounded and bulbous styling than its predecessor. Part of the radical concept of the new Clio were many components made of unusual materials to save in weight and repair costs. For instance, the front wings were made of plastic (following criticisms of corrosion in this part of the previous model and based on technology developed for the Renault Espace) and the material of the bonnet was aluminium in some versions. Originally the engine lineup was similar to before, with 1.2 L, 1.4 L and 1.6 L petrol engines and a 1.9 L diesel. The project manager from 1992-98 for the Clio II was Pierre Beuzit.
In early 2000, a sportive 16V version equipped with a new 1.6 L 16-valve engine was introduced, and eventually, all the older petrol engines were upgraded to more powerful and more economical 16-valve versions.
Clio III (2005–2014)
The third generation Clio was unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The Clio III uses the Nissan B platform, co-developed with Nissan (which Renault has a share in), that is shared with the Renault Modus, the Nissan Micra and the Nissan Note. It is considerably larger and 130 kg (287 lb) heavier as well as being more expensive than the Clio II, and at nearly 4,000 mm in length has almost outgrown the supermini class.
This was the result of a decision to move the Clio upmarket. It also brings the trademark "Renault Card" keyless immobiliser to the Clio for the first time. The new Clio achieved a 5-star EuroNCAP safety rating, joining the rest of Renault's family at the maximum safety rating (with the exception of the Kangoo and the Twingo). Sales began throughout Europe in October 2005.
Clio IV (2012–present)
The Clio IV was introduced at the September–October 2012 Paris Motor Show, and began marketing a month later. It is available in hatchback body style and starting from early 2013 also as an estate. It is manufactured in Flins, France, and in Bursa, Turkey, where the estate will particularly be assembled.
A notable difference from the previous generation is the wheelbase, which has been significantly extended and is now near to the one of a compact car. The length and the width have also been increased, but less significantly.
| Renault Clio 200 Turbo 2013 - 2 minute review! July 2, 2013 Matt Hubbard for Speedmonkey View 2014 Audi S1 Quattro Review at YouTube - 42.1MB - 1:59 |
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2013 Geneva International Motor Show Photo ©2013 Norbert Aepli, Switzerland This photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. View photo of Renault Clio at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show - 3.3MB |
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2013 Geneva International Motor Show Photo ©2013 Norbert Aepli, Switzerland This photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. View photo of Renault Clio at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show - 3.4MB |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2012 | New Renault Clio - first pictures  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 8 October 2012 | New Renault Clio - prices, specs and photos | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 15 October 2012 | New Renault Clio Williams in 2014 | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 14 February 2013 | Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 8 March 2013 | 2013 Renault Clio review | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 14 March 2013 | Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo - prices and further specs announced | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 5 July 2013 | Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo review | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
| 3 August 2013 | Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC - a Belated Review | Geoff Maxted, DriveWrite Automotive |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Die Cast - Bburago 4101 | Renault Clio '98 | Street Fire, 1:43 scale, red |
