Currently reading: New Renaultsport Clio previewed at Goodwood

Power for the new Renaultsport Clio is expected to come from a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with around 200bhp

The all-new Renaultsport Clio has been previewed for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A prototype version of the French firm’s next hot hatch was driven up the hillclimb by Renault’s chief operating officer Carlos Tavares in the Festival’s ‘First Glance’ section.

Power for the new Renaultsport Clio is expected to come from a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with around 200bhp. The switch to smaller capacity turbo power means the end of for the current car’s famed high-revving normally aspirated 2.0-litre unit.

A dual-clutch gearbox featured on the Goodwood prototype, but a manual option is still expected to remain.

Like the standard car due to be unveiled by Renault next week, the Renaultsport version will be five-door only. Design chief Laurens van den Acker has promised the design will have the look of a three-door due to the swoopy rear section and rear door handles hidden in the C-pillars.

The new Renaultsport Clio will be officially unveiled at the Paris motor show in September. A racing version is also planned to compete in the various European Clio Cup race series. 

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Car review

New Renaultsport hot hatch has sophistication, but can it excite when direct rivals like the Ford Fiesta ST have perfected the formula?

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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KenF 6 July 2012

I hope this car can improve

I hope this car can improve on the brilliant 200 cup and look forward to autocars first drive of it.

 

Uncle Mellow 3 July 2012

Renaultsport Clio

Too many doors !

Matthew Langton 2 July 2012

.

Very odd paint job, it does not even have any lights ,it's far off production.