Renault Australia plans survival over sales growth

Renault has set a blunt and realistic target for its Australian operation, with the French brand aiming simply to survive rather than chase big sales growth in an increasingly crowded new-car market.

While new Chinese brands are posting triple-digit growth and pushing for top-10 sales positions, Renault is taking a far more conservative approach in Australia.

Speaking at the local launch of the Scenic E-Tech, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey said the brand’s focus is on maintaining a sustainable presence rather than chasing volume.

“Renault as a brand is really in a good position to survive in a market like this,” Sealey said.

For Renault, survival in Australia equates to about 6000 sales per annum, a tiny figure compared with market leader Toyota’s more than 200,000 local sales, while cracking the top 10 requires upwards of 40,000 units.

When asked whether Renault’s ambition extended beyond survival, Sealey was clear.

“Can you live in the Australian market with 6000 cars, 6500 cars? We can. And we're OK with that,” he said.

Right now, Renault isn’t achieving its modest Australian goals, with 4569 sales recorded in 2025, down from 5556 vehicles in 2024.

The brand is pinning its future on the arrival of four new or refreshed models – including last year’s Duster and Scenic E-Tech - over the next 18 months including replacements for its top-selling Koleos medium SUV and Master commercial van.

“The rejuvenation is coming through,” Sealey said.

Sealey’s realistic admissions reflect the fact that Renault in Australia is distributed by the independent Ateco Group, led by Neville Crichton.

Unlike factory-owned distributors that espouse lofty sales targets and can lose money to achieve them, Ateco’s goals for Renault locally are grounded in profitability.

Sealey said Australia’s “aggressive market” leaves smaller brands fighting over a limited share of sales.

Ateco has capped Renault’s EV line-up at three models – Kangoo, Megane and Scenic – with no plans to bring the funky Renault 5, 4 and Twingo to Australia for now.

The launch of the Alpine premium EV brand has also been placed “under study”, despite earlier plans for a late 2026 or early 2027 debut.

Pricing remains another challenge, with Renault’s models generally more expensive than Chinese rivals offering lower pricing and high equipment levels.

But Sealey said Renault still has a place in the Australian marketplace, even without high sales volumes.

“We want to bring, in the case of Scenic, good premium vehicles with European design, European calibration, European feel, European handling, and offer something different in the market,” he said.

When pressed further on the pricing disparity with Chinese rivals, Sealey argued Renault provides superior quality.

While it’s a niche brand in Australia, Renault remains a major global player and recently overtook Toyota to become Europe’s second-largest car brand in 2025.

Globally, Renault plans to introduce 32 new models between 2025 and 2030, a portion of which will be available to Australia.

Potential new models could include the Bridger mini-SUV, a rival for the Suzuki Jimny, the Dacia Striker small wagon sold locally as a Renault, the Korean-built Filante and Grand Koleos SUVs, the Symbioz and/or Captur small SUVs, and updates for the Duster.

There is also the prospect of a performance-focused revival via a hotter Megane E-Tech.

“We'll have a bit more talk on new models moving forward. We'll probably see in a couple of months for the next one,” Sealey said.

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