The new Renault Clio is not coming to South Africa.
The next-generation Clio made its international debut at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, Germany this week, showcasing the brand’s striking new design language.
We reached out to Renault’s local division to find out when we can expect the new hatchback to hit our shores, but the response wasn’t as exciting as we had initially hoped.
“Unfortunately, the sixth-gen Renault Clio is not in Renault’s local planning,” said the company’s marketing and communications department.
The news is admittedly not very surprising, as South Africa also did not receive the facelifted version of the current-generation hatchback.
The fifth-gen Clio made its local debut in 2022, having been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Not long after, the French carmaker announced that the Clio would receive a mid-life facelift, which would arrive in South Africa in mid-2024.
However, this never came to pass, and Renault later admitted that they had cancelled their plans for the facelifted Clio because of the unfavourable exchange rate.
“Last year, the Clio V facelift was part of Renault’s local planning; nevertheless, a directive was taken not to launch locally because of the currency rate,” the company told TopAuto.
End of the line
While there is always a chance that Renault may eventually decide to reverse its decision and bring the sixth-gen Clio to South Africa, it appears that the hatchback’s time in our market is coming to an end.
The French car has been around for over two decades and has enjoyed moderate success with local buyers, though it never reached quite the same heights as other B-segment hatchbacks like the VW Polo and Hyundai i20.
The locally-made Polo obviously has a major advantage over its imported peers, but it’s worth noting that B-segment hatchbacks sales have slowly declined over the past decade for a number of reasons.
Car prices have shot up in the last five years, which has resulted in a consumer shift away from B-segment cars towards smaller A-segment units.
Today, many of the top-selling cars in South Africa are entry-level hatchbacks like the VW Polo Vivo, Hyundai Grand i10, and Suzuki Swift, all of which cost less than R300,000.
The Clio, on the other hand, starts at R312,999, which partly explains its declining sales.
The other major factor to consider is the rise in popularity of crossovers and SUVs, many of which compete in the same price bracket.
This is compounded by the explosive rise in popularity of Chinese and Indian car brands, which are often cheaper than legacy models from more established Japanese, Korean, and Western automakers.
For example, the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is now the seventh best-selling vehicle in South Africa, which costs R43,099 less than the Renault while offering similar performance and a comparable spec sheet.
According to data from the Automotive Business Council, the Clio has not registered any new sales in 2025, which indicates that local stock has run dry.
Renault has not officially stated that the Clio has been discontinued in South Africa, but given the lack of sales and the news that the next-gen models are not planned for a local introduction, it’s fair to assume that we must now say goodbye to the French hatchback.
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