The Clio has always had a place in small fleet business for Renault, so we asked Wood if the same opportunity would be there for the new car?
He said: “Clio has an incredible heritage in the UK – it’s an icon, and that’s been helped by some iconic advertising over the years. We always had a strong desire to keep that success story going. What we’ve always said, is that we’ve got a very clear strategy. We call it our strategy on two legs – and by that we mean, we’re making the very best combustion cars, and the very best electric cars, on dedicated platforms. I think that’s what puts us in such a strong position to take advantage of whatever the pace is in the switch to electrification. I think we’ve got one of the strongest line-ups to do that.
“I very much see the Renault 5 and Renault Clio as complementary platforms, and if you look at the B hatchback segment, around 90% of the sales in that segment are hybrid or combustion. So, whilst we’re doing a good job attracting new buyers to the brand with the Renault 5, I think this Clio takes our conquest power up a notch – particularly as some of our competitors are leaving the segment, too.
“So, yes I believe Clio will continue to have the same fleet appeal, as we move forward with the new car.”
We’ve got a long wait until the new Clio arrives in the UK in 2027, so we asked Wood if there was going to be a gradual run-out of the old car, and if there would be enough stock to keep fleet buyers happy in the UK?
He said: “We’ve planned that transition to make sure we have ample production and stock of the existing Clio 5, until the transition to the new Clio in 2027. I think we mustn’t forget that current Clio is still a class-leading car in its own right today. A car that attracts five-star reviews, is still winning awards, and as I said, with competitors leaving the sector, we think we’ve got tremendous potential to grow.
“When the next Clio 6 arrives in the UK, it’s going to move the game on with its next-generation technology, next-generation hybrid powertrains, we’ll be in a strong position.”
If current Clio stock did run low, we asked Wood if he thought that could mean fleet buyers being pushed towards the 5?
He said: “It is a complementary thing; I think our desire is to always make sure that we meet the supply. We’ve had to plan the transition, and to make sure we have the right levels of production of the outgoing car to meet the expected demand. So, it’s not a case of arbitration, or a decision between the two models, we’re there to make sure we meet the demand and supply.
“The beauty of our two-legged strategy, is that we’ve got an offer for those customer looking for a combustion powered car. We mustn’t forget as well that you can do up to 80% of city driving with the new Clio’s hybrid powertrain in electric mode, so it’s an important full-electric experience for those fleet customers that aren’t perhaps able to yet make the jump to full-electric. While at the same time, we’ve got the current Car of the Year, in Renault 5, a car that is continuing to attract new buyers to the brand.
“So, these are complementary products that offer something for every fleet, no matter what stage on the electrification journey they are.”
We moved on to ask Wood what he saw as the key new Clio fleet spec and engine?
He said: “It will be the 160 E-Tech, with the 1.8-litre petrol hybrid, with 160hp. It offers fantastic performance, with just over eight second 0-60mph acceleration – it really is peppy, and great fun to drive. We see around 60% of our sales on hybrid, and as the market grows, we expect that to grow further. We’ve got something for everyone with the new Clio, we’ve got the hybrid powertrain, but we’ve also got a competitive TCE combustion engine as well. And we’ve got Renault 5 E-Tech with 40 and 53kWh. So whatever customers demand, we’re pretty confident we’ve got a class-leading solution across our two models.
“Talking about our line-up, we’ve got Renault 5, Renault 4, Renault Captur, and Renault Clio, I genuinely think we’ve got the leading B-segment line-up in the whole market.”
Finally, we asked Wood if he thought the sixth-generation Clio would still be a conquest car for fleet in the UK?
He said: “I really think Clio will add to the conquest wave that we’re seeing. Over 83% of Renault 5 buyers are new to our brand, so it is showing that more and more people are looking at the Renault brand with new eyes. And the stunning new Clio has real conquest power, but I also think it will appeal to our existing buyers, and that successful love story will continue in the UK.
“We’ve got great loyalty to Clio in the UK, many fleet customers buy, and buy again. Honestly, I can only see it building conquest buyers, but as more people look at the brand, more are going to discover what Clio is all about, and I think they will be impressed. Clio is a great halo model for the brand.”
