Renault has high hopes for the Laguna Coupe when it arrives in the UK late next year.
The French firm’s UK fleet boss Keith Hawes told BusinessCar he thinks there will be a “high demand in the corporate sector” for the new model. “I don’t think there are many products in the market able to offer what it offers. For the guy in his 40s or 50s that wants something a bit sporty but affordable, there’s very little around,” he said.
“I think the Coupe will be very emblematic of the brand and create a strong image,” continued Hawes, pointing to Renault’s strong presence in the motorsport world.
Hawes also said Renault’s drop in fleet volumes – the brand has witnessed a year-to-date fall of more than 10% on 2006 – was “self-inflicted”.
“We took the decision in 2006 to reduce short-cycle volume by 5000 units and we did the same in 2007,” he said. “The objective was to find the right balance. We’ve been at great pains to get the right balance of demand versus supply so we could increase values on used cars.”
He confirmed Renault has also taken a large volume out of Motability: “We had too high a mix, particularly in Scenic.” Despite this, Hawes claims the firm will “overachieve” on internal targets.
Next year will be a busy one for Renault. Apart from the Laguna Coupe, the Laguna Sport Tourer arrives in January with the Clio Sport Tourer and Grand Modus range extensions following close behind. The new Koleos small 4×4 arrives late in the year, after the popular utilitarian Kangoo, which gets a new chassis based on the Scenic. It will arrive in both car and LCV form. The Laguna range will also be filled out through 2008, including the addition of a 3.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.
