4 minute read
Van sales growth at Renault Trucks
As the truck supplier adds Trafic to its LCV line-up, Van User catches up with UK and Ireland head of LCV Grahame Neagus
Renault Trucks sold more than 4,300 Master vans and chassis in the UK last year, up from around 800 in 2017. As the truck manufacturer starts to offer the smaller Trafic van alongside Master, it aims to raise that total to more than 8,000 registrations by 2025, 5,000 being the heavier Master and 3,000 the smaller Trafic van. The company is also planning for 10% of its van sales to be full electric E-Tech models in 2023.
As mentioned previously, Renault Trucks and Renault (supplier of the vans and cars) are two separate companies, the truck business is part of Volvo Group. However, for the truck company, which uses a red diamond logo rather than the yellow of the car firm, vans have become a major part of the business. The same is increasingly true for its dealer base.
“For the dealers, having Trafic alongside Master doubles their LCV portfolio,” said Grahame Neagus, head of LCV for the UK and Ireland.
“There are lots of businesses using Master that want something smaller.”
However, the firm’s 73 dealer outlets are very much truck as well as van sites, with the 24/7 opening and rapid backup demanded by the heavy haulage industry. Yet, over the last five years, vans have gone from being an add-on that sits at the back of a showroom or yard, to a sales area with dedicated staff, that have realised the value of LCV registrations to their customers and to the dealership bottom line.
Within the network, there are around 25-30 dealers that have really embraced van sales, though all outlets can sell and provide service and back-up. Neagus believes that these dealers are prospering in the van world because they are offering the knowledge and expertise required to sell hard working, high mileage trucks.
They use what he calls consultative selling, working to understand the customer’s operation and placing an emphasis on Total Cost of Ownership.They also have the expertise to find the right body and equipment for a range of industry sectors.
They also have a dedicated product to offer. Though built by the yellow-badged Renault in the same factory as other Master product, Renault Trucks has been able to specify its own Master offering, including things like a wider rear wheel track that makes it easier to load pallets. The same will be true of the upcoming Trafic Red Edition, which he insists will not come in Renault’s standard Business and Sport trims.
“Having the opportunity to sell Trafic under our own specification will be invaluable,” said Neagus.
“We’ve proved it with Master. There is a lot more that can be done for professional logistics businesses. We don’t want to be a me-too supplier. We want to be a go-to supplier.” Renault Trucks will have its first Trafic stock available from the summer, with full production by the end of the year.
Renault Trucks will take the wraps off an unusual LCV conversion at this year’s ITT Hub exhibition in May. For a full preview of the show see page 26.
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