End of the road for Renault Clio in South Africa?
With the new Renault Clio VI hatchback not planned for South Africa, the nameplate may well have reached the end of the road locally after a quarter of a century…
- New Clio VI not planned for South Africa
- Facelifted Clio V didn’t ever arrive in SA
- Nameplate first launched locally in 1999
The freshly revealed Renault Clio VI hatchback is not scheduled to launch in South Africa, according to the Boulogne-Billancourt-based brand’s local distributor, suggesting this storied nameplate may well have reached the end of the road locally after some 26 years.
Though the pre-facelift Clio V is still listed on Renault SA’s website, the last time a sale was registered in the local new-vehicle market was back in October 2024, when just a single unit was sold. While the automaker’s distributor had previously planned to introduce the facelifted model, it’s now confirmed to us that a “decision was taken not to launch locally because of the [unfavourable] currency rate”.
Furthermore, Renault South Africa revealed to Cars.co.za that the newly revealed Clio VI is “not anticipated for local launch in SA”. Though there’s theoretically still a (slight) chance the firm – which these days relies on Indian-sourced budget cars for much of its sales volume – might one day change its mind, for now the nameplate appears to have wrapped up a local run that spanned some 26 years.
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While the 1st-generation Clio was never officially sold in South Africa, the Clio II arrived in Mzansi back in 1999. Over the past quarter of a century, successive generations of the hatchback have launched locally, including various RenaultSport-badged, hot-hatch iterations. Based on earlier figures released by Renault SA, we’d estimate that nearly 80 000 units of the Clio were sold locally (with almost 35 000 of those being Clio IV units).
The outgoing Slovenia-built Clio V range comprised 3 derivatives, each employing a turbocharged 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that delivered 74 kW and 160 Nm to the front axle via a 6-speed manual gearbox (no automatic was offered locally). The line-up kicked off with the entry-level Life (R312 999), while the mid-tier Zen was priced at R327 999 and the top-spec Intens at R367 999.
- ALSO READ: Renault Clio 1.0T Intens (2022) Review
According to our records, Renault registered 641 units of the Clio V in South Africa in 2022, with that number climbing to 723 units in 2023. In 2024, some 766 units of this hatchback were sold locally, with zero examples registered so far in 2025 (suggesting local stock has finally been depleted).
While the B-segment hatchback space in Mzansi is still dominated by the Kariega-built Volkswagen Polo, this so-called “supermini” category has lost substantial sales volumes seemingly both to more budget-friendly sub-B-segment contenders (such as the VW Polo Vivo, Suzuki Swift and Toyota Starlet) and, of course, crossovers. Several big names have also exited the market over the couple of few years, including the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Micra and Kia Rio.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the new Renault Clio VI coming to South Africa?
A: No, according to Renault’s local distributor, the newly revealed Renault Clio VI hatchback is not planned for a local launch in South Africa.
Q: Why didn’t the facelifted Renault Clio V come to South Africa?
A: The facelifted Clio V was not launched in South Africa due to a decision based on the unfavourable currency rate at the time. The last sale of the pre-facelift Clio V was registered in October 2024, and local stock appears to have been depleted.
Q: How long has the Renault Clio nameplate been in South Africa?
A: The Clio nameplate has been in South Africa for 26 years, with the first official launch of the Clio II in 1999. Although the 1st-generation Clio was never sold locally, subsequent generations were available, and an estimated 80 000 units have been sold in South Africa over this period.
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