AIMS: Megane RS heads Renault revival

Renault will make a renewed effort to crack the Australian new-car
market with a wave of new models over the next few months – and more on
the way. The Renault Megane RS hot hatch – awarded internationally –
will spearhead the local attack ahead of the arrival of a new
convertible, a regular Megane hatch to compete with the Volkswagen Golf,
and a new large sedan to compete with the Honda Accord and others.

"We're
here to stay and these new models show how much support there is for
Renault in Australia," said the new boss of the company, Justin Hocevar.
"There is no doubt that 2010 has been a tough year for us, but with
these new models we are absolutely serious about getting back on track."

Local Renault sales are down 30 per cent so far this year in a market that is up by 15 per cent.

"The
arrival of the new models means that 80 per cent of our line-up will be
new, so 2011 really will be a big year for us," Hocevar said.

But the recovery will be based on steady growth, he warned.

"We
have conservative estimates. It's not an aggressive growth strategy,
but we want to build the brand in a sustainable way," he said.

"We are targeting about 3500 sales by the end of next year which will be about 1000 up from where we will be this year."

Renault will also grow its national dealer network from 21 to 22 dealers by the end of this year.

"We will start to make a recovery before the year is out but 2011 is our big year."

The
Renault Megane RS starts at $45,683 drive-away while the Cup variant
comes in at $50,907 drive-away. The regular Renault Megane hatch and the
Fluence sedan both start at $26,990 drive-away. The Renault Megane
Coupe Cabrio with the folding metal hardtop is $49,975 drive-away.

"We've worked very hard to be competitive with these prices," Hocevar stated.

"With the right products at the right price we believe Renault is in a good position."

Meanwhile,
next year the large Renault Latitude sedan will go on sale priced just
below and just above $40,000. It will be available with two engines: a
2.5 V6 petrol and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel, Hocevar revealed.

The Latitude is Korean-made at a joint venture factory with Nissan and shares the Nissan Maxima platform.

For our full coverage of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney visit our minisite at carsales.com.au/aims

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