It is a duel consubstantial with the French automotive identity which, for fifty years, has made the versatile city car its favorite domain. A “mano a mano” between Renault and Peugeot, inaugurated in the 1970s by the R5 and the 104, which today extends their heirs Clio V and 208.
While the Peugeot had firmly established itself at the top of the French hit parade since 2019, putting an end to the long domination of its rival, the match was completely relaunched. In 2023, the Clio V manufactured in Bursa (Turkey) and Novo Mesto (Slovenia), saw its sales (97,479 registrations) jump by 52%, leaving the outgoing champion behind, which only totaled 86,268 units. The 208, produced in Kenitra in Morocco and Trnava in Slovakia, also lost its title of best-selling model in Europe to the Tesla Model Y, falling to 5e place, while the Clio V moved up from 10e at 6e position.
This sudden awakening of the diamond is not unrelated to the fairly energetic restyling carried out by Gilles Vidal. The new chief designer, poached from Peugeot, has given new energy to a model which had fallen asleep on its laurels and whose style lacked bite. This revival owes even more to the presence of hybrid technology under the hood of the Clio E-Tech (145 horsepower), which represents 25% of sales. Able to maintain its consumption level just above 4 liters per 100 kilometers, this version, which combines a 1.6 liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder and a 36 kilowatt (kW) electric motor, is well suited to urban travel. .
Effort on prices
At Renault, the recipe for success also included an effort on prices – the Clio is priced from 19,500 euros – which are quite significantly lower than those of the Peugeot. We must also take into account that, over the last two years, the diamond has preferred to focus on its larger models, Austral and Arkana (in short, reserving the available components for them), as part of a strategy of reconquest of a more profitable segment than that of the Clio.
Offered and composed of LPG and diesel – an engine which the Peugeot has just abandoned – the little Renault has once again become the benchmark for urban sedans. Its French customers are aged 58 on average, and they are mostly men (51%), while those of the 208 are younger, a little more financially well-off and are more often women (53%).
At Peugeot, we are stung by the disappointment of the 208, especially since in 2023 all of the lion brand’s sales have suffered. Even the e-208, which until then was doing very well, was relegated to 5e ranking of electric car sales. Like the rest of the Peugeot range, the 208 has overestimated its ability to charge higher prices than the competition. The famous “pricing power” dear to Carlos Tavares, the boss of the Stellantis group, to which the brand belongs, has faded.
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