The Renault Symbol, Clio or Thalia in some markets, is a subcompactsedan produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault.[1] It was introduced in late 1999, under the Clio Symbol name, as the derivative version of the second generation Renault Clio, and unlike the hatchback it was marketed only in those countries where saloons were traditionally preferred over hatchbacks,[2] while it was not sold in Western Europe.[3] It was actually sold in France, but only in overseas departments/regions.
The second generation had a different design from the third generation Clio and was built on the platform of the first generation car. A third generation was introduced in late 2012, as a derivative version of the second generation Dacia Logan.
Its key markets are Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Maghreb and the Persian Gulf states, most notably countries like Turkey, Brazil, Romania, Russia, Algeria, Colombia and Tunisia.[4]
In late 1999, the Clio Symbol began production in Turkey, as the sedan version of the Clio II.[6] It was subsequently launched in other countries, under different names, depending on the market: Clio Symbol,[7]Thalia,[8]Clio Sedan,[9]Clio 4 Puertas,[10]Symbol,[11] or Clio Classic.[12] The car was intended for sale in developing countries, where saloons were traditionally preferred over hatchbacks, most notably in Eastern Europe. In some Latin American markets, like Chile and Mexico,[13] the facelifted model was offered as Nissan Platina, with slight changes at the front of the car to make it resemble the Nissan Altima. It is longer by 38cm (15.0in) than the hatchback and has a larger boot of 510 litres (18cuft).[14]
The main production site of the model has been the Oyak-Renault plant in Bursa, Turkey, where manufacturing started in 1999 and sales in November of the same year.[6][15] Worldwide, it was also built in Brazil at the Ayrton Senna complex in Sao José dos Pinhais, near Curitiba,[16] since 2000,[15] and since 2001 in Colombia by Sofasa.[4][17] In 2002, it began assembly in Mexico, rebadged as Nissan Platina, at the Nissan Mexicana plant in Aguascalientes.[18] For a short time, between the end of 2002 and 2004, it was also assembled in Russia by Avtoframos.[19][20] The Platina was dropped following the 2010 model year,[21] and was replaced by the March in its Mexican assembly plant and the line-up.
At the beginning it was available with only two engine options in Europe: a 1.4-litre, 8-valve (75hp, 114Nm) and a 1.4-litre, 16-valve (98hp, 127Nm), both of them with multi-point fuel injection.[22] In Argentina it was manufactured with a 1.6-litre, 16-valve petrol (100hp; 74kW) engine and a 1.9-litre diesel (65hp; non-turbo),[23] in Colombia with the 1.4-litre, 8-valve,[24] and in Brazil either with the 1.6-litre, 16-valve or with a 1.0-L, 16-valve petrol (70hp; 52kW).[25] Initial trim designations were RN (RNA, RND) and RT (RTE, RTD), but later they received designated names: Authentique, Expression, Dynamique, Alizé, Privilège etc.
Facelifts
2002 Renault Symbol facelift2007 Renault Symbol
It was facelifted in March 2002,[26] gaining the new front end of the hatchback Clio, black moldings on the bumpers, slightly revised interior (electric window buttons moved from the central console onto the doors, the steering wheel got a new design) and improved safety levels. New engines were also added:[27][28] a 1.5-litre diesel (65hp, 160Nm),[29] and the 1.6-litre, 16-valve petrol (105hp, 148Nm) in Europe,[30] which was only available with the Dynamique trim level.[27] Throughout the following years, two other versions of the dCi engine were featured in the range: the 65hp version was upgraded to 70hp (following the introduction of the Euro IV emission standards from January 2005) and a more powerful version of 80hp and 185Nm (in the second half of 2004).[31][32] A new 1.2-litre, 16-valve engine (75hp, 105Nm) was introduced the first half of 2006.[33] An automatic transmission version was available, but only with the 1.4 16-valve petrol engine.[34]
The new front end was adopted in South America from 2003. In Brazil two engines were adapted to run with flexible-fuel: the 1.0-litre, 16-valve (76hp on petrol, 77hp on alcohol) and the 1.6-litre 16-valve (110hp on petrol, 115hp on alcohol);[35] while in Argentina a CNG version was introduced towards the end of the year.[36] The interior of the pre-facelifted model was kept in the South American facelift version. In Colombia, automatic transmission was added in 2004 to the Symbol Expression, and the new interior of the facelift model was added in 2008, with some differences from the European version, including the location of the electric window controls, the seats and the radio, and it kept the exterior of the phase II Symbol. The Alizé model electric front windows and a driver's airbag; the Expression included electric mirrors, a digital clock, a passenger airbag, ABS and foglights. The 2008 model also included a 1.6-litre petrol engine, replacing the 1.4-litre one.
Nissan Platina (Mexico)
The Nissan Platina was available only with the 1.6-litre 16-valve petrol engine (110hp; 82kW). It had four trim levels, named Grado Q, Grado K, Grado K plus and Grado A, the same as the top cards in a playing deck.[37] From the 2008 model year, they changed to Custom, Emotion, Premium and Premium A.[38] It was sold either with a manual gearbox or with an automatic one with an overdrive system.
In the first half of 2005, minor changes were made to the models. These included clear tail light lenses and side repeaters, a slightly modified grille and some of the display units changing from analogue to digital.
In the beginning of 2006, an improved version of the sedan was offered in Argentina and Brazil, and from Autumn in Europe.[39] The exterior now had body-coloured bumpers, without mouldings, regardless of the trim level. The shape of the grille was revised and the boot got a new handle with the Renault logo integrated, similar to the one used on the Laguna, as well as the new styling of the Renault nameplate. Four new colours were made available and two distinctive new rim designs. For the European model and the Platina,[40] the interior was upgraded to the one used in the facelifted Clio II, with very minor parts commonality with Mégane II, as well as new standard and optional equipment, such as automatic air conditioning and a CD player.[41]
This model was offered in three equipment levels: Authentique, Expression and Dynamique. Expression included driver airbag, air conditioning, trip computer, electric mirrors, electric front windows, CD-player and height-adjustable steering wheel. Dynamique added passenger airbag, ABS, electric rear windows, body-coloured door handles and alloy rims, although the ABS and passenger airbag were options that could be added to lower levels too. Automatic air conditioning was available as an extra feature.[41]
It scored 12 points out of 16 in a frontal crash test conducted by the Russian magazine Autoreview in 2002, which was considered equivalent to the result scored by the hatchback version in the Euro NCAP testing.[42] Over 600,000 units were sold worldwide since the release of this model.[43]
Marketing
Renault quietly stopped sales of Thalia in Croatia during 2005 in favour of the Dacia Logan and from early 2006, it has no longer been present on their websites.[44]
The second generation uses the running gear of the previous generation car and has a different design than the third generation Clio. The name Clio was dropped in favour to just Symbol, or Thalia in those markets where this name was used on the previous generation.
It was revealed for the first time in August 2008 at the Moscow International Motor Show, production started the same month,[45] and it went on sale between September and November. The second generation car is longer than the previous by 7cm (2.8in) and has a boot capacity of 506 litres (17.9cuft).[46]
The new Symbol was designed jointly by Renault's engineering teams in France, Turkey and Romania, for countries in the Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Turkey, North Africa and as well the Persian Gulf States. Development of the project (codenamed L35) took 26 months.[46][47] The main production site remains the Oyak-Renault plant in Bursa, Turkey, and from 2009 it was also manufactured in the Santa Isabel factory in Córdoba, Argentina, for the South American market and only with the 1.6-litre, 16-valve engine.[48][49][50]
It is available in three equipment levels: Authentique, Expression and Privilège. Features included by Authentique are driver airbag, rev-counter or body-coloured front and rear bumpers. Expression adds hydraulic power steering, trip computer, electric front windows, height adjustable steering wheel and front seats, folding rear bench seat, rear headrests and body-coloured mirrors and electric central locking with remote control. Privilège adds electric mirrors, leather-trimmed steering wheel, foglamps, rear electric windows and radio-CD player with MP3 playback.[46]
In December 2008, the second generation of the Renault Symbol was awarded the "Autobest 2009" prize, by a jury made up of journalists from fifteen countries, mainly emerging markets in Eastern and Central Europe.[51]
The Turkish police forces use second generation Renault Symbol cars.[52]
Engines
According to Renault, the engines used on this model are of the latest generation at the date of release.[46][53][54][55]
The third generation was revealed at the 2012 Istanbul Motor Show,[57] and it is a rebadged version of the second generation Dacia/Renault Logan.[58] It is manufactured in Bursa, Turkey,[59] and went sale on the Turkish market at the beginning of 2013, also being released in Algeria and Tunisia.[57]
It is also manufactured and sold in Brazil since November 2013, as the Renault Logan.[60] In Chile it is marketed as the Renault Symbol.[61]
In November 2014, the Renault Symbol began assembly from CKD kits in a new plant in Oran, Algeria.[62] Its production capacity is 25,000 units per year, which may eventually be increased to 75,000 vehicles per year.[62]
The model produced for South America (where it is marketed mainly as the Renault Logan) and Turkey and Algeria retains small design differences, both at the exterior and the interior. The interior differs mainly at the central part of the dashboard, whereas the exterior has a different front end design, incorporating the new large Renault badge, a different headlamp configuration and mirror-mounted indicators.[63][64][65]
In Turkey, it is offered with a 1.2-litre 16-valve petrol engine, developing 55kW (75PS) and 107N⋅m (10.9m⋅kgf), or a 1.5-litre diesel engine, developing 66kW (90PS) and 220N⋅m (22.4m⋅kgf). In both cases, they are coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. It is available in seven colours and two trim levels.[66]
In Chile, it is equipped with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, capable of developing 61kW (83PS) and 131N⋅m (13.4m⋅kgf). It comes in three trim levels: Expression, Dynamique and Privilege.[67]
Facelift
Renault Symbol (Chile, facelift)
In the first quarter of 2017, it was facelifted, receiving design modifications to the front with LED daytime running lights and more significantly to the rear design with a new trunk and new taillights, but also to the interior including a new 3-spoke steering wheel with the horn, in Turkey[68] (and nearby export markets) and, as well, in Chile.[69] An important addition is the Dacia Easy-R automated manual transmission.
The facelifted model is slightly different in terms of design and even equipment from the Renault Logan offered in the rest of Latin America.[70][71]
The facelifted Symbol is not sold in Mexico, leaving Renault without a saloon in the Mexican market.
Other markets
Also in the first quarter of 2017, the updated version was launched in several Persian Gulf states,[72] such as Saudi Arabia,[73] the United Arab Emirates,[74] and Qatar.[75]
Renault Clio, the base model for the first two generations
Dacia Logan, the base model for the third generation, in turn based on the Renault Clio platform
Nissan B platform, the platform that forms the basis for several related models
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1 2 "2000 Annual Report Summary"(PDF). Renault. 2001-04-24. p.19. Retrieved 2011-07-29. Clio Symbol, a three-box model launched in late 1999.
↑ "Clio Symbol" in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. It was marketed as "Symbol" from 2002, after the facelift, in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. In Romania the name "Symbol" was adopted in the first half of 2005. In Turkey and Bulgaria the name was adopted in the fall of 2006, after the second restyling.
↑ "2006 Registration Document"(PDF). Renault. 2007-04-24. p.9. Retrieved 2011-05-19. Outside Europe, Clio is also assembled [...] in Mercosur countries in [...] Curitiba in Brazil, Envigado in Colombia (the Clio Symbol sedan).
↑ "Envigado - Renault-Sofasa". Renault. Retrieved 2011-05-07. Renault-Sofasa produces the [...] Symbol [...] and sells [...] the new Symbol II.
↑ "Alliance facts and figures"(PDF). Renault. 2008-09-17. p.7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2011-06-22. 2002/03.4: Production of the Nissan Platina, derived from the Clio sedan, begins at the Nissan Aguascalientes plant in Mexico.
↑ "Moscow - Avtoframos". Renault. Retrieved 2011-09-29. Avtoframos is a commercial and industrial company selling the Renault range in Russia. Its plant in Moscow started assembling Clio three-box at the end of 2002.
↑ "2010 Registration Document"(PDF). Renault. 2011-04-18. p.230. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-07-15. Production of the dual-badged Clio/Platina at Nissan's Aguascalientes plant in Mexico [...] has been suspended.
↑ "Renault lance la berline Symbol" (in French). L'Economiste. 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2011-06-02. depuis son lancement en 2000, la Clio Symbol a été vendue à plus de 600.000 exemplaires dans le monde.
↑ "Renault launches new Renault Symbol in South America". Renault. 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2011-05-18. New Renault Symbol will be manufactured for the argentine and brazilian market at the Santa Isabel (Cordoba) plant in Argentina.
↑ "Renault Symbol / Thalia". Renault. Retrieved 2012-11-22. New Renault Symbol is manufactured in Bursa (Turkey) while its previous version is still built in Cordoba (Argentina).
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