A MAJOR car firm has made a U-turn on the decision to scrap a popular petrol model – because it’s cheaper than EVs.
French firm Renault has decided it will continue to offer customers an affordable petrol Clio and abandon plans to go fully electric for the moment.
The company had been aiming to produce the latest Clio as a hybrid, but delayed the move to help customers “in a difficult economic climate”.
A Renault spokesperson said: “In order to meet the needs of some customers in a difficult economic climate, the new Clio will also be available with a 90bhp petrol engine.”
The model will boast a 1.0 litre engine, which can take drivers from 0 to 60mph in 12 seconds and offers around 50mpg.
And, squashing plans to go electric brings the costs down to £17,795 which makes it cheaper than rival models such as the Vauxhall Corsa.
In fact, it is one of the most affordable superminis, only beaten by a few other brands such as the Citroen C3.
To buy a hybrid version of the Clio, customers would have been forced to fork out an extra £3,500.
Renault also confirmed they are still “committed” to going fully electric in the future, but will continue to provide petrol and hybrids at present.
Their E-Tech version of the popular Clio model comes with a 1.6 litre hybrid engine and offers 143bhp.
This comes as another huge car manufacturer slashed EV production as the demand for electric models falls.
VW has announced that EV production at their factory in Zwickau, Germany will be put on hold until October 16.
Meanwhile the assembly line for the ID.3 model in Dresden will shut down for the first two weeks of the month.
Cratering demand on the continent and the scrapping of major government subsidies to incentivise the building of EVs are understood to be at the root of the decision.
And, the latest data shows electric car sales have plummeted as more drivers opt for petrol and diesel vehicles.
The drop in motorists purchasing EVs comes as Rishi Sunak put the brakes on banning all other car types.
In a major speech delivered from Downing Street last month, the Prime Minister pushed stopping all sales of petrol and diesel cars back by five years.
It has seen the average cost of second hand EVs slashed by nearly a quarter last month, according to research by AutoTrader.
Elon Musk’s popular Tesla brand has been one of the worst affected, as well as other high-end models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
