While we haven't seen any prototypes of Renault's new Clio out in the open yet, the French brand's recent studies might give us an idea of what's to come. Rendering artist Aksyonov Nikita chose to keep it simple, by taking the fourth-gen French supermini and fitting it with the front end of the Symbioz Prototype.

The latter was a zero-emission vehicle, with Level 4 autonomous driving among others, so don't expect to see that closed grille on the Clio, as its internal combustion engines still need proper ventilation, so if any car could adopt it, that would be the successor of the Zoe. The shape of the headlights, with the incorporated LED DRLs, might be carried over, though, albeit with a more down-to-earth shape, similar to those that can already be seen on the latest Megane.

We're still at least one year away from seeing the fifth generation Renault Clio in an official environment, as it's expected to arrive in 2018. It will get an entirely new cabin, dominated by a portrait-style touchscreen infotainment system, and fitted with better quality materials, which will up the game for its direct rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta.

The engine lineup will include the usual small petrol units, and probably mild hybrids too, Renault hasn’t decided yet whether it will offer the Clio Mk5 with diesel powertrains.