Driving Forward

Lynne Boucher, Sales & Network Business Manager at Renault Ireland tells InBUSINESS how a strong product range and dealer network have been key drivers of their success.

Q: How has 2019 been for your business?

A: This has been another successful year at the end of our 5 year plan, which shows Renault as the only manufacturer in the Top 5 in growth versus the market. We have seen some strong results for the Renault Group this year, securing over 9.2% market share. We are continuing to see strong results across our core models, with hopefully more to come in 2020.

Q: How would you describe the overall landscape in your sector at present?

A: While there is a level of uncertainty around Brexit, overall we are very positive for next year.

We have seen a strong shift towards electric vehicles, particularly on fleet. The Kangoo ZE was the best selling electric van in the market this year, and has been added to major fleets such as An Post. We have been seeing a lot of enquiries also for our ZOE Commercial and Master ZE.

Q: What are the major challenges facing the motor industry at the moment?

A: The main challenge is the continuous uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Used imports remain a challenge for the motor industry in Ireland, but the recent charges introduced on NOx emissions, should reduce the level of older imports, which will hopefully have a positive effect on the new car market in Ireland next year.

The removal of the SEAI Grant on commercial electric vehicles will impact the momentum we have seen on electric vehicles (EVs), but we will continue with our programmes and drive on electric vehicles for next year.

Q: What does this award recognition mean to you?

A: It’s great to receive recognition for the work done over the last few years. We are very proud of the product range that we have and together with our Dealer Network we have worked hard to drive the fleet performance over the last few years.

Q: What are the qualities that make Renault stand out from the competition?

A: Along with our strong product range, our 5 year/200,000km manufacturers warranty on Renault cars and vans also continues to be important to customers. And our flexible finance options through Renault’s own bank, RCI, means that we can tailor the offer for different customers. The strength and professionalism of our Dealer Network has also been a key win for us in 2019.

Q: Any news or plans for 2020 that you can share with us?

A: We are optimistic about the market and it’s exciting to be renewing 50% of our range going into next year; 2020 will also see the launch of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which are new to the Renault range, so we’re very much looking forward to 2020.