Frankfurt Motor Show 2005 - Renault

What's the star of the stand?
Frankfurt is the first chance for buyers to play around with the all-new version of one of Europe's most popular superminis – the Clio.

Both three- and five-door versions of the supermini are on the stand, although the five-door will be three months behind its sibling and won't be on sale in the UK until January.

Petrol-engine options include a 75bhp 1.2-litre, a 98bhp 1.4-litre and a 113bhp 1.6-litre unit. The 1.5-litre diesel engine will be available with 68bhp, 86bhp or 106bhp.

A concept version of the next Renaultsport Clio is also here. Set to appear in showrooms in the next nine to 12 months, the production version of the car won't change much from the design you see here.

Even the F1-inspired rear diffuser, which improves downforce and handling as a result, will be found on the car you'll be able to drive away from a showroom by the end of next year.

They say
'The Clio Renaultsport Concept has been bred for performance. It enjoys the highest standards of traction and road holding, with a superb ride and precise handling.'

We say
We hope they're right. The current Renaultsport Clio is great fun to drive, so we can't wait to try out the new version.

Anything else?
Renault is finally pushing ahead with a 4x4 to rival cars such as the Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V. Although this Egeus concept is larger than the car that will go on sale in 2007, it shows what the first off-roader from Renault will look like.

Any gossip?
The funky Zoe is at Frankfurt but rumours of a new concept car here are unfounded. Gossips said there could be a new coupe based on the old Fluence concept car design. This could have given us an indication as to whether Renault is working on a Laguna coupe and even what the next-generation Laguna saloon could look like.