Having concentrated on 'Renault to Go' to remarket buy-back cars at retail prices via its dealer network, the company is now turning its focus to a used van programme to encourage its dealers to remarket vans.
'There is demand there already for these vehicles, and we are working closely with key customers such as British Gas to remarket their vans. We need to get dealers used to stocking and selling used vans,' said Keith Hawes, Renault's fleet and commercial vehicle director.
LCVs have been a success story for Renault, with the runaway success of the Kangoo, and the Master and Trafic competing strongly, but the manufacturer is going to have to accept that its half-sister Nissan will soon be offering its own badged versions of these same vans.
Both the Master and Trafic already compete with Vauxhall doppelgangers, and the arrival of Nissan versions will force Renault to re-emphasise the qualities that secure van business for its dealer network.
The outline strategy is for Nissan to focus on its own business opportunities via its dealers, while Renault will focus on keeping and growing its existing customer base. 'We will try to plough parallel furrows rather than cross one another,' said Hawes. 'But the product is the same, so the differential is the back-up and the relationships you have with your clients.
'We have been selling vans for a long time, and we have the experience and skills to serve this market.'
Evidence for this comes from the year-to-date sales figures that show Renault has outsold Vauxhall by 5,312 to 5,066 vans in the Trafic and Master sector, despite Vauxhall's place at the heart of the fleet market.
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