Renault is increasingly cautious about how well the Logan will sell in western Europe.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The Logan, an inexpensive three-box sedan originally designed for developing countries, will be launched in France, Spain and Germany in coming weeks.
The car, which will cost about €7,500 euros, has been on sale in Romania and other central and eastern European markets since September.
“It’s a test,” Alain Magaritopol, Renault sales and marketing director for central Europe, said at the Automotive News Europe Congress in Barcelona about selling the Logan in western Europe. “We are not looking for important volumes.”
When first presented to the press last year, the pared-down, no-frills Logan got enthusiastic reviews in from the western European press. But Renault executives have been downplaying expectations, saying that recent marketing surveys on the Logan’s prospects in western Europe show mixed results.
The Logan, a 4,200mm-long car based on Renault’s small car platform, was designed to be priced as low as €5,000. It was shaped as a three-box vehicle to suit the taste of customers in most developing countries. Western Europeans generally prefer two-box vehicles.
