Scoop – Next gen Renault Clio to be made in India; to share platform with Micra

If reports circulated by Autocar are anything to go by, then the next generation Renault Clio will be built in India, alongside the 3 other cars based on the same platform. Yip, you heard it right, the next gen Clio will be based on the V-platform that also spawns the Micra, its sedan variant and a mini-MPV, most likely something similar to the Note.

The Micra is one of the most anticipated small cars in India and it will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, that opens on March 4. Production of the small car is already underway at Nissan’s Thailand plant under the eco-car project. While Thailand will get the car first, India will be the second country for the car with sales beginning sometime after its production in June or July.

Following the hatchback will be a sedan based on the same V platform. While the sedan is aimed at developing markets, the third model on the same lineup, a mini MPV will be similar to the Note that is presently a strong seller in European markets. The sedan will be launched in end 2011 followed by the mini-MPV in 2012. The mini MPV will be sold worldwide, possibly as a replacement for the Note.

What is important here is the next-gen Renault Clio which will be based on the V-platform and go into production in India. The news has come from sources in Renault. While that might not go down well with the French, we feel it is a good move by Renault as it would bring down costs due to a ready made supplier network already in place. We would also like to add that the Fluence and Koleos would be locally assembled to lower their costs and hence gather higher sales.