New Clio and Captur spearheading Renault’s assault on 2022

Having made a projected model announcement for 2022 back in September, Renault has now officially confirmed the line-up of new vehicles coming to South Africa next year.

With launches this year having consisted of the Kiger, a second facelift for the Koleos, and updates to the Duster, the brand will start the new year with the long delayed unveiling of the new Clio.

Originally planned for last year, only to be pushed back to the fourth quarter of this year, the sister model to the Nissan Micra will be touching down during the first quarter of next year with pricing and spec to be confirmed.

Shown back in 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show, speculation is that the South African-spec Clio will offer a choice of two powerunits; the 74kW/160Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol in place of the current model’s dated 898 cc unit, and the Daimler co-developed 1.3-litre turbo that produces 96kW/240Nm.

Transmission will comprise a five-speed manual or a CVT on the former, with the latter making exclusive use of a seven-speed EDC.

Unlikely additions are the normally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol, the 1.5 Blue dCi turbodiesel and the innovative E-Tech that combines a free-breathing 1.6-litre petrol with a 1.2-kWh electric motor for a combined output of 103 kW.

As stipulated in the September projection, the second quarter of next year will see the debut of the all-new Captur.

Unveiled in 2019 and riding on the same CMF-B platform as the Clio, the Captur’s local model details and price also remain unknown, but expect a significant premium over the Kiger as it will take on the likes of the Volkswagen T-Cross, Mazda CX-3, Jeep Renegade, Peugeot 2008 and to an extent, the Toyota C-HR.

ALSO READ: Locked in: New Renault Clio and Captur here in 2022

Up front, the range is expected to be an all-petrol affair with the same choice of engines as the Clio, albeit with two outputs for the 1.3; 96kW/240Nm or 115kW/270Nm.

Although the E-Tech, which makes 118 kW thanks to a bigger 9.8-kWh battery, is unlikely to feature, a diesel could potentially be added as it did feature on the now previous generation. In Europe, the mentioned 1.5 Blue dCi produces either 70kW/240Nm or 85kW/260Nm.

With final details still outstanding, the second the half of the year will see the debut of the new Trafic van, as well as updates to the all-important Triber and Kwid. Still to be seen, the latter pair are expected to be previewed by way of the Delhi Auto Expo next month before arriving in South Africa.

While the Kwid, which received an extensive update two years ago, is unlikely to differ much, the biggest addition could be the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine from the Kiger and its Nissan Magnite twin to the Triber.

Available in India since last year, the blown three-pot produces 74 kW with torque dropping from 160 Nm in the manual to 152 Nm in models equipped with the CVT.

Finally, the much delayed Oroch bakkie, based on the Duster, receives another call-back with 2023 now being the year of its debut. Originally earmarked for this year, before being pushed back to 2022, the Oroch, spied back in July, will surprisingly no longer be offered as a double cab as the case is in South America.

Instead, Renault has confirmed it will be a single cab offering, which has ignited speculation that it could be a Renault badged version of the Duster Pick-Up currently only sold in Romania.

Aside from the mentioned models, don’t be surprised if possibly more product, as well as mid-life tweaks, are rolled-out throughout the year.