The firm"s top brass...

The firm"s top brass were said to be hopping mad when Solido, the toy manufacturer commissioned to make collectors" models of the new car, jumped the gun. Its staff unveiled the miniature clay models of its 2005 range at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany.

The red-faced workers were told to put the Clio straight back into its box, but not before French model collectors" magazine Automodellisme had managed to get a picture. The move has given the game away over the styling of the all-new hatchback, which isn"t due to make its debut until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. We revealed in issue 717 how model makers are given exclusive access to new car designs ahead of the launch so they can create miniature versions. Obviously there"s no interior detail, but it does illustrate how Renault is giving the five-door Clio the look of a baby Scenic, with a steep windscreen and near-vertical tailgate.

However, the people carrier look won"t be carried over on to the three-door - just check out our wintry spy shot. It"s of the next Renaultsport Clio undergoing winter testing, and despite the disguise it"s easy to see the car will be both lower and shorter than the five-door. When it makes its debut, the new Clio will come with 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines carried over from the current line-up. The 1.5-litre dCi diesel will be available in three power outputs - 65bhp, 82bhp and 100bhp.

The range-topping Renaultsport will have a revised version of the existing car"s 2.0-litre, with more than 200bhp rumoured to be on tap. The newcomer will be based on the platform of the current Nissan Micra, which was co-developed with Renault, and will also underpin the next Twingo, scheduled to appear in late 2006.