The UK is one of Renault’s ‘pillar’ markets, a position that will be reinforced next year with the launch of the redesigned Clio and the Dacia brand, said Roland Bouchara, senior vice president in charge of the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.
But Renault must be profitable which is why the decision was taken at the end of 2011 to axe some models and cut the dealer network.
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Bouchara pointed to how well Renault is doing in the three other countries under his control as a reason to be optimistic that good times can return to the UK.
Renault is top in Spain with an 11% market share; it has 7% in Italy and 5.5% in Germany market where it is the top importer; the company is also Europe’s second largest brand.
He expects a big improvement on Renault’s current 2.7% share in the UK from next year.
Not only will the company have new Clio, which is describes as a ‘killer product’, it will also have its version of the Nissan Juke B segment crossover.
And the arrival of Dacia will be a welcome boost to dealers.
“Dacia has taken a 2-3% share of the retail market where it has been launched; this is not peanuts,” he said.
Renault is also very happy with the measures taken in the UK. “We now have a solid stable basis to build profitable business for our dealers,” he said.
