2019 Renault Clio (Generation 5)

Why no Renault Clio units were sold in SA last month

Not a single Renault Clio unit was sold in South Africa in September 2024. Here’s why the French hatchback simply didn’t feature on the local sales charts last month…

When poring over South Africa’s model sales figures for September 2024, we noticed something rather interesting: the Renault Clio was missing.

Yes, while the French firm’s local division recorded 1 426 total sales last month (seeing it place 9th overall), not a single unit of the Clio was registered. Why? Well, it seems production of the pre-facelift Clio V – which arrived in South Africa only in February 2022 after a particularly lengthy delay – has ceased overseas.

Motus, the company responsible for distributing Renault products in South Africa, told Cars.co.za that the “current Clio is at the end of its lifecycle”, adding that “limited stock” is currently available via its national dealer network. For the record, the model is still listed on Renault SA’s website.

Renault’s local distributor furthermore told us the “Clio facelift project is on hold for now, until market conditions improve”. Of course, the refreshed version of the BF-generation Clio was revealed globally back in April 2023 and had been expected to arrive in Mzansi in the 3rd quarter of 2024.

 
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Renault’s renaissance has been built on smartly executed electrified reboots of catalogue classics like the 4 and 5. But the Clio has no intention of being overshadowed, even if its continued existence was by no means a slam dunk. There’s life yet in a combustion-engined supermini with a manual gearbox, and we’re good with that even if it’s Renault’s successful EV strategy that’s actually made it possible.

Mind you, the numbers are persuasive. Renault has sold almost 17 million Clios across five generations in 120 countries since the car arrived 35 years ago, 1.3 million of them in the UK. In Europe, it’s the best-selling car for the first half of the year. Welcome, then, to the sixth generation, bigger (inevitably), powered by cleverly evolved and efficient combustion engines, with the full panoply of the technology and connectivity that the market simply can’t live without these days.

The new car sits on the group CMF-B platform (related to but distinct from the EV one), and the UK will get two powertrains although more are available in Europe. The star engine is a new 1.8-litre E-tech hybrid that makes 158bhp, and uses two compact electric motors that pony up 151lb ft of torque, fed by a 1.4kWh battery. This helps reduce emissions to 89g/km and delivers a combined fuel consumption of 72mpg. Renault reckons the new hybrid will use e-mode in typical urban driving for about 80 per cent of the time. It also points to Formula One learning, with 15 possible pairings between the ICE and the electric motor depending on driver mood. The engine is a product of Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Renault and Geely.

The entry level car is powered by a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, good for 114bhp and only available in the UK with a manual gearbox. See, someone’s still doing it. (A six-speed dual-clutch auto is an option in Europe. That’ll be the one you rent on holiday, then.) The steering is faster than before and there are various drive modes, in the customary Renault fashion.

 
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