Renault Australia says it has worked extensively to improve the resale value of its vehicles and reduce the cost of parts as it seeks to improve its value-for-money equation.
Speaking at the launch of the all-new Renault Clio in Melbourne this week, Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar admitted that resale had been an issue for the brand in the past.
“For the past three years that I’ve been at Renault we’ve had significant focus on improving our resale value. This has been a legacy issue with the brand. It hasn’t always been justified, however it has certainly been true that some models’ resale performance was quite poor,” Hocevar said.
According to industry standard GlassGuide data, the new Clio’s projected resale value is now 48 per cent after three years. This beats the Hyundai i20 at 47 per cent, Mazda 2 at 46 per cent and the Peugeot 208 at 42 per cent. Nonetheless, the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta better it by six and one per cent respectively.
“This reputation or negative stigma for the brand has fueled rejection and it’s fair to say it steered some customers and prospects away,” he admitted.
“It’s very important to note this is an issue from the past. We have genuinely applied great work to correct this, it’s no longer an issue for Renault and we will continue to improve.”
Hocevar says that those figures are likely to improve as the Clio, which comes standard with a five-year warranty and roadside assistance and a three-year capped-priced servicing program, progresses through its lifecycle.
Renault also claims that its parts are now cheaper than its direct rivals. According to the French company, if the top 40 most used components of each car are taken into consideration, the 208’s part cost is 55 per cent more, followed by the Polo, i20 and Mazda 2 at 33, 17 and four per cent respectively.
Renault Australia currently offers some of the most competitive finance deals on new cars as part of the alliance with Nissan finance. Renault has also started doing its own insurance, which is available for the new Clio.
