Reprieve granted to Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 with thermal engine
- Renault has decided to launch a new generation of the thermal engine Clio in 2026, three years after the restyling of the current Clio (fifth generation). It will therefore be the last Clio with a combustion engine offered on the European market, since the end in 2035 of sales of new cars with combustion or hybrid engines was validated on June 8, 2022 by the European Parliament.
- Renault will therefore add a combustion engine car in the B segment in 2026, while it plans to launch the new electric R5 in 2024 and the new electric R4 in 2025.
- The manufacturer may have thought that not only is the democratization of electric vehicles taking longer than expected, and that with the rise in the price of raw materials and rare earths, this will not improve in future years. Selling an electric vehicle at the same price as a thermal vehicle will be impossible in this decade.
- As a result, Renault management has estimated that sales of the electric R5 will not be equivalent to those of the Clio. The sixth generation of the Clio will allow the manufacturer to reconnect in the B segment with past volumes. The engines of the future Clio, which will use the current platform, will be a 1.2 petrol mild-hybrid 48V and a new 1.8 full hybrid.
- At Peugeot, the same observation as at Renault will have the same effects. The new generation of the 208 (code P31) will be launched in 2026 only in the electric version, but the current 208 will continue its career in the 1.2 petrol version after a restyling in 2023. The first will be produced in Zaragoza (Spain) while the second will be produced in Kenitra (Morocco).
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