Renault Clio Retains Title in Fleet World Honors

May 21, 2014: Renault continued its long run of Fleet World Honours successes by collecting a hat-trick of trophies at the Royal Automobile Club ceremony in London’s Pall Mall today.

The iconic Clio was once again named Best Small Car to retain its 2013 title, while Kangoo Van Z.E. reclaimed the Environment Award it first won in 2012 and the innovative marque’s all-new 1.6-litre twin-turbo engine scooped the Innovation trophy in the Van Fleet World Honours.

It is the sixth consecutive year the French brand has celebrated a significant awards haul at one of the most prestigious events on the fleet calendar, which strive to recognise innovation, quality and sustainability.

Steve Moody, editor at Fleet World magazine, said: “The Clio continues to be the best car in the supermini sector because it offers everything a driver of these type of cars wants. That means that it is not too expensive, has cheap to run petrol and diesel engines, enough space in the back and boot, and does it all with a dash of style too.”

The French marque had won Best Small Car and Technology last year, for Clio and electric flagship ZOE respectively, and the Environment and Editor’s Award at the 2012 Fleet World Honours for its groundbreaking Kangoo Van Z.E..

Dan Gilkes, editor at Van Fleet World, said Renault “continues to set the agenda” on electric LCVs in the UK market and that the “facelifted Kangoo Z.E. simply takes the concept forwards in terms of driver comfort”.

Since its launch at the end of 2011, Kangoo Van Z.E. has been acclaimed repeatedly by the media and was named International Van of The Year in 2012. The world’s first mass-market zero tailpipe emission van was restyled last June with a new front end and the incorporation of new features like the connected R-Link multimedia tablet.

Dan added: “While there are other electric vans available, Renault has pioneered both the technology and the development of the necessary infrastructure to support these vans with Kangoo Z.E.

“Competitive pricing, ease of use, no loss of load capacity and a reasonable payload all contribute to make Kangoo Van Z.E. a viable alternative for van operators in an urban delivery environment.

“There are competitors…for now though Renault should be applauded for continuing to push the electric LCV agenda with a convincing, viable product like Kangoo Z.E.”

The Innovation Award for Renault’s twin turbo energy efficient diesel engine rounded off a triumphant afternoon for the French brand.

The Energy dCi 140 Twin Turbo is the first 1.6-litre diesel engine to benefit from twin-turbocharging, and delivers 140hp and a generous 340Nm of torque, which catapults it into the domain of 2-litre engines in terms of performance. This important breakthrough combines fuel consumption and CO2 emissions savings of 25%.

Dan said: “Smaller more efficient engines are key to reducing fuel consumption and emissions, and the 1.6-litre power unit for the new Renault Trafic van shows how it can be done without loss of power. If downsizing has not yet affected some van engines, you can guarantee it is not far away.”