Hot hatch is a gross understatement

Though Renault doesn't have a huge presence in Australia, the marque is enjoying increased sales as time goes on.

One car that is currently under evaluation for the Australian market, also showcased at the Melbourne Auto Show, is the stunning Clio Sport V6.

Looking like a cross between the Ford Ka and Toyota Echo, this little puppy is not to be messed with.

From the get-go it tells a tale of pure racing, high-performance proportions. It is a two-seater, with a mid-rear mounted engine - that is, just in front of the rear axle.

This lowers the Clio's centre of gravity considerably, increasing response and handling. The engine powers the little car to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds.

This is blisteringly quick for a hatch. Though when you consider it's powered by a V6 block, which can rev out to slightly more than 7000rpms, it starts to make a bit more sense.

The 3.0-litre, 24-valve powerplant has a maximum torque reading of 300Nm at 3750rpm and max power is 166kW (230bhp) which occurs at 6000rpm. Making use of a manually shifted six-speed gearbox, top speed hovers around 240km/h.

A custom stainless-steel exhaust system allows the V6 mill to breath much more efficiently and it also gives the little nipper a fairly loud V6 growl.

Integrated into the rear bumper of the car, the twin-pipe system adds visual flair, too. Also responsible for a substantial power gain is an increased compression ratio of 11.4:1.

The little Clio V6 weighs in at just over 1300kg, which isn't too heavy, but we expected it to be around the 1200kg mark. It sits on massive 17" alloy wheels that almost dwarf the small chassis. Along with two intakes at the ends of the doors, feeding fresh air to the engine (remember its a mid-rear block), the car looks sporty and its Euro-styling is refreshingly blunt.

When you have this much power contained in such a neat little package, you need to have equally powerful anchors. Renault was up to the task and slapped a pair of 330mm vented discs up front and two more 300mm discs at the rear. Coupled with a quad-sensor Bosch 5.3 ABS system, you can be assured that the Clio Sport V6 is has adequate braking.

Continuing the impressive safety package are programmed restraint safety belts with pretensioning plus front and side airbags.

A lower spec version of the Clio Sport V6 will be coming to Australia soon - the four-cylinder Clio Sport. At the time of writing, Renault was undecided as to whether it should bring the Clio Sport V6 to Australian shores. We sure hope it gets the go-ahead. Click here to contact Renault Australia if you want to sway its decision.