May 2000: RENAULT will allow its major fleet customers to select a company car and order it at the touch of a button by the end of next year.

The French manufacturer is investing more than €77 million this year in developing its internet strategy and on-line trading, and claims it will become 'the leader among European carmakers in the area of e-commerce'.

Renault already boasts 36 internet sites, but none are used for interactive links with customers and all have been set up just to provide information.

From 2001, however, major fleets will be able to order their cars on-line, and have on-line access to data on their vehicles such as maintenance spend and renewal dates.

These facilities are part of a wider programme which Renault claims will create a new generation of website, giving it 'truly interactive relationships with its customers'.

RENAULT plans to launch a website that it claims will be the 'first multi-make information and transaction site for used cars'.
The French manufacturer intends the site - 'carevia.com' - to go live by the end of 2001 in France, the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.

'Aware of the strong interest shown by consumers in multimake used car sites, Renault's goal is to become the leading transaction site in this field in Europe by 2003,' said a Renault spokesman.

Carevia.com will offer customers cars of different brands from dealerships, private individuals, auctions and rental fleets.

Renault also plans to launch Renault.site, which it says will bring the customer into contact with its dealer network, and is developing its intranet site, a private in-house network, for use by staff.