Is Renault dying? Do we care?
Discussion
I am looking around right now to buy something nearly new and practical as a general workhorse.
I am not normally a fan of French cars, but a friend visited over the weekend in his new Peugeot 508 estate-thing and I have to say it is a pretty good effort. Quality seems much improved.
Peugeot / Citroen seem confident, launching a lot of new models and also being pretty brave with cars like the DS range ( not everyones cup of tea and all the better for it ) as well as a range of hybrids that even Toyota would be proud of.
But what is happening at Renault? They seem to have nothing in their range worthy of attention. No excitement, no recent launches. There are a few ( pretty lame ) electric cars being offered but everything else seems pretty dull. And they don't seem to be advertising much either.
What is the reality here? Are Renault dealers busy? I can't say I see many new Renaults on the road.
Are there more cars about to be launched?
I know Renault is a state owned affair these days, but we aren't witnessing a French replay of Rover are we?
What is happening with Renault these days?
Just wondering....
I am not normally a fan of French cars, but a friend visited over the weekend in his new Peugeot 508 estate-thing and I have to say it is a pretty good effort. Quality seems much improved.
Peugeot / Citroen seem confident, launching a lot of new models and also being pretty brave with cars like the DS range ( not everyones cup of tea and all the better for it ) as well as a range of hybrids that even Toyota would be proud of.
But what is happening at Renault? They seem to have nothing in their range worthy of attention. No excitement, no recent launches. There are a few ( pretty lame ) electric cars being offered but everything else seems pretty dull. And they don't seem to be advertising much either.
What is the reality here? Are Renault dealers busy? I can't say I see many new Renaults on the road.
Are there more cars about to be launched?
I know Renault is a state owned affair these days, but we aren't witnessing a French replay of Rover are we?
What is happening with Renault these days?
Just wondering....
If the build quality and electrical issues I am experiencing in a 4 year old RenaultSport Megane are anything to go by it's hardly surprising that no one is buying them new. The dealer support was also pretty poor as well.
I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
Both Renault and Peugeot don't really have much going for them at the moment. I know motorsport isn't the be all end all but IMO Peugeot's le mans program was half-assed at best and said a lot about the company. Maybe if they actually built one of their concept supercars then we'd talk.
Only interesting thing about Renault is the F1 connection - and they really should go back to running the Enstone team.
The best thing about Renault is the Clio, and in my view that's just a bloated shadow of what it was. The original was all about the tinny hatchback with not much to show for but turned out to be a competent hot hatch with some great special editions. Now it's just this fat plastic thing.
I wouldn't say the company is 'dying' though, they have strong ties with nissan, and successful commercial products.
Only interesting thing about Renault is the F1 connection - and they really should go back to running the Enstone team.
The best thing about Renault is the Clio, and in my view that's just a bloated shadow of what it was. The original was all about the tinny hatchback with not much to show for but turned out to be a competent hot hatch with some great special editions. Now it's just this fat plastic thing.
I wouldn't say the company is 'dying' though, they have strong ties with nissan, and successful commercial products.
They are not too bad, most of their downfall is their own doing though.
Examples being getting interiors badly wrong for so long even when interior material costs to improve them tenfold would be negligible.
I know most of the French brands are linked, however Citroen has shown promise of late with some funky designs like the DS3, but Renault seem to be on a downward trend, their virtual pullout from the UK market doesn't seem like a very confident move for what should be a volume brand.
Peugeot seem to have become cars for old people or young girls only, they seemed to give up a while ago.
Examples being getting interiors badly wrong for so long even when interior material costs to improve them tenfold would be negligible.
I know most of the French brands are linked, however Citroen has shown promise of late with some funky designs like the DS3, but Renault seem to be on a downward trend, their virtual pullout from the UK market doesn't seem like a very confident move for what should be a volume brand.
Peugeot seem to have become cars for old people or young girls only, they seemed to give up a while ago.
storminnorman said:
I know motorsport isn't the be all end all but IMO Peugeot's le mans program was half-assed at best and said a lot about the company.
If it was 'half-assed' at best, then beating the might of the Audi steamroller at Le Mans in 2009 does indeed say a lot. Not to forget the incredibly-close finish in 2011.Renault do seem to be shifting Scenics and Clios, but I see very few new Meganes about. But then notice all the excitement about the Dacias? They're a sub-brand of Renault, no? I don't think Renault are dying, just changing.
Maty said:
If the build quality and electrical issues I am experiencing in a 4 year old RenaultSport Megane are anything to go by it's hardly surprising that no one is buying them new. The dealer support was also pretty poor as well.
I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
I wouldn't buy another Renault new or used.I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
The Sport cars drive well, but my god are they built like absolute s
t.TameRacingDriver said:
Maty said:
If the build quality and electrical issues I am experiencing in a 4 year old RenaultSport Megane are anything to go by it's hardly surprising that no one is buying them new. The dealer support was also pretty poor as well.
I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
I wouldn't buy another Renault new or used.I certainly won't ever step foot in a Renault dealer again to look for a new car.
The Sport cars drive well, but my god are they built like absolute s
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