New Renault Clio 5 Coming Early Next Year With Electrification, Semi-Autonomous Tech

The new-gen Renault Clio “will be shown early next year”, said the brand’s design chief, Laurens van Den Acker.

The Renault official told Autocar the supermini is “finished, it’s done, it’s duster”, adding that “it’s going to be great”, and “will be the best Clio we’ve ever done”.

On the styling front, the 2020 Renault Clio should remind a smaller Megane, with elements taken from the Symbioz Concept, too. Still, the French automaker will keep some of the elements of the current car in place, such as the rear door handles, which will be hidden in the frames.

Inside, the new Clio will echo the looks of its larger sibling, too, with a portrait-style infotainment screen taking center stage in the middle of the dashboard. This should give the new model an advantage over its direct rivals, such as the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, whose infotainment screens have a more traditional look. Drivers should expect other novelties in this department, where Renault “will try to make the difference”, van Decker said.

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It’s no surprise that the next Renault Clio will be based upon the CMF-B platform, powered by small petrol and surprisingly, diesel engines, too. Among them, we might find the 1.0-liter and 1.3-liter units, with the latter developed by Renault-Nissan and Daimler, as well as the 1.5-liter dCi.

The diesel will reportedly welcome a mild hybrid derivative, said to be called the Eco2, but will be launched later on. It could be followed by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, probably in 2020. Renault isn’t interested in offering a battery-electric-powered version of the Clio V, due to fears of cannibalizing the Zoe EV.

As for the Clio RS, Renaultsport will unveil it in 2020, but not before sending off the current iteration with a new limited edition. It’s unknown what will power it, as some say it will make use of the current 1.6-liter mill, while others believe it might adopt the Megane RS’ 1.8-liter lump, albeit in a de-tuned state.

Last, but definitely not least, the next-gen Renault Clio will come with the brand’s latest and greatest driving assistance features, including a semi-autonomous driving system, probably of Level 2.