News analysis
Renault focusing on the fleet market
Key attraction is the French manufacturer’s double EV and hybrid product plans, according to its UK country head and managing director. Martyn Collins reports.
A
t the recent international launch of the Renault Scenic EV (see page 36), Business Car got the chance to speak to Guillaume Sicard, country head and managing director for the Renault brand in the UK, about his plans for fleet business in Britain.
Sicard told us the plan was to progress it as a strategy.
He said: “We’re very strong in the retail market, we’re very strong in Motability, but fleet is certainly one sector in the UK where we need to progress.
“We have a very strong focus when we look at the structure of the fleet market. It’s clear that not only EV, but also the C-segment SUV is key.
“Why EV? Well, the mix of electrified sales in the fleet sector is around 26%, compared to 8% retail, and up to 9% on Motability. So, if we want to perform in the overall market, we need to be in fleet for sure.
“We have a very strong focus when we look at the structure of the fleet market.”
“There is a strong focus from the fleet team, in terms of strategy, to make sure we can perform in this segment.” Sicard expects the new Scenic to be a high-spec fleet choice: “If you look in terms of monthly cost, to go from a level two to a top-level three, for example, in terms of equipment, the increase is just £20-30 per month. So, a lot of customers choose the higher-spec model. It is that way because the residual value increases with equipment, and the higher you go, the stronger the residual value is. From a fleet perspective, you get much more for your money, but the investment isn’t much more for what you get.”
Sicard went on to tell us that one of Renault’s key fleet attractions is that it has double product paths.
He said: “With our overall strategy we’re trying to push as much as possible towards electric, because this is the direction of the market by 2035. Plus, the regulator is telling us to speed up as much as we can, so we’re investing massively in terms of electric. “We also have another alternative for fleet customers who don’t feel they’re ready yet, which is hybrid. It gives a flavour of driving an electric car, without all the negatives that the customer can have when moving to an EV.
Above: Guillaume Sicardas, country head, UK and managing director, Renault Brand UK
“What’s good is we offer two possibilities. In the C-SUV class, you can have the Austral hybrid, or the 100% electric Scenic. We have the Clio hybrid and soon the all-electric Renault 5, or you have the Captur, and soon we will have the Renault 4. We want to make sure that we have a double line-up of hybrid and EV.
“We must be seen by our customers to offer different solutions for different company usage. To have all the segments is important, but what is even more important is to have the alternatives, both hybrid and electric, to remain competitive in the industry and offer the best possible choice to meet fleet operators’ needs.”
Above: Renault UK boss Sicardas has tipped the new Scenic to be a high-specification fleet choice due to the modest additional costs between equipment levels. 6 | April 2024 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
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