Next-gen Renault cars to transform brand

Although Renault is still a relatively small player Down Under, with a market share of just 0.6 per cent, the company is upbeat about the future.

With several model updates on the horizon, including a brand-new Megane small car and Koleos SUV, which will be based on the new Renault-Nissan alliance's CMF (common module family) platform, the company is quietly confident of changing perceptions, particularly in Australia.

Renault Australia Managing Director, Justin Hocevar, revealed to motoring.com.au that he's seen several next-generation models and is confident that they will transform the company's image, both here and globally.

"I had a tour of future product not long ago and they blew me away. They exceeded my expectations," said Hocevar at this week’s launch of the new Clio GT.

"We're going through a sprint, but we've prepared ourselves for a marathon. It's always having that one eye on the horizon. I think we're in good shape to face future challenges.”

Hovecar confirmed next-generation Renault vehicles will benefit from bold new designs, penned by the company's chief designer Laurens van den Acker, formerly Mazda's global design boss.

"It's exciting. You can see the leverage van den Acker has in the company, and now he has the proof and confidence in the organisation, he's winning the votes to drive the product through the organisation."

Van den Acker's influence can be seen on the fourth-generation Clio, which was launched in Australia in September 2013, and has helped sustain Renault Australia's steady growth.

The brand sold 7016 cars in 2013, representing an increase of 40 per cent on the previous year's 5011 sales, and early sales for the first quarter of 2014 have grown at a similar rate thanks to the new Clio.

Van den Acker's work can also been seen on the new Captur, a micro SUV based on the Clio's platform. The Captur's Australian launch has been delayed several times due to the car's global popularity, and is scheduled to arrive here late in 2014.

"The drawcard for us, the ace up our sleeve so to speak, is the product," said Hocevar.

"The van den Acker designs coming through now, what you've seen, and what we've shown our dealers, what we've seen further down the track, gives me a great deal of confidence that in a few years time, many people in this market will look back and go 'wow, look at Renault now, versus where they were'".

Renault Australia has made it into the top 20 best-selling car brand's in Australia but, as Hocevar hinted, the next-generation Megane expected to debut in 2015 after eight years of production (and following a facelifted version arriving here mid-year) will be the next step in company's success.

"The transformation of the product and the design is just incredible. For me, the striking design that Clio is, relative to its class and competitors, we will see that replicate with our other classes of vehicle," he said.

The new Megane is expected to see the light of day in 2015 and will be based on the new CMF architecture that underpins the new Nissan X-TRAIL and upcoming Qashqai. Renault's next Koleos will also ride on the CMF platform and itself is close to replacement after more than eight years in the market.

Mitsubishi is also in talks with Renault-Nissan to use its high-tech CMF platform for its next-generation Lancer.

The Renault Australia boss said the next few years in Australia will be crucial for the brand as it maintains its position as the best-selling French marque in this country and attempts to take on European rivals such as Volkswagen.

"It's the time we need to prepare ourselves, prepare the network and prepare the people to bring those vehicles to market, and then I think we'll be in a really good place," Hocevar said.