Renault UK managing director Philippe Talou-Derible is predicting that this year’s UK new car market would be “very, very close” to the 2003 record of 2,579,050.
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He said: “Our dealers are reporting a flat market, nothing flash. We have to be careful because there is no reason to panic.
“The industry has become used to record levels for years and the minute there is no massive influx of customers through showroom doors they start to worry.”
Talou-Derible said he derived satisfaction from “very strong” light commercial vehicle sales which provided a true economic indicator.
“You don’t buy a new van because you fancy it but because you need it for business and business is good,” the Renault chief said.
His prediction for this year’s market was that it could be “a couple of hundred or thousand either way compared to last year. It is a delicate balance, a ‘balletic’ situation with a lot of manufacturers carrying stock.”
Renault’s tally for cars and LCVs, he predicted, was likely to finish the year “a little bit above last year’s 209,000 units.”
