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TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
Page 56
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In a bid to boost residual values and give the truck a bit more driver appeal, Renault has given its Premium a lick and brush up.
Andy Salter as With so much activity in the fleet truck sector, the Renault Premium is in danger of being left behind. Daf is going great guns with its new CF. Volvo likewise with the FM. Iveco is making in-roads with Stralis and now Mere is set to enter the fray with the all-new Actros. Hell, even MAN and ERF appear to have finally got their act together in this highly competitive sector and are coming out fighting on the fleet front. So whither Renault?
Things have been tough for the one-time fastest growing truck importer in the UK and the past couple of years have seen the company retrench and reassess its strategy, shifting away from a market share driven strategy of pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap, to a more considered and, dare we say, profitable approach.
While the strategy may have dictated a reduction in market share, the now rather ageing range has done nothing to buck the downward trend.
While we await a promised overhaul in the future. Renault has moved to rectify its problem with a raft of minor changes to the Premium which show a genuine determination by the French truck builder to address some of the truck's weaknesses. Most of the changes in-cab are trim issues, designed at making the truck more appealing to the driver. For instance, there's a new softer-feel dash trim, following the vogue set by Daf and Mercedes, which enhances the interior quality. Better fit and finish of the bunk upholstery and a general tidying up of the interior trim also move to enhance in-cab quality.
On the outside, the changes are limited to colour co-ordinated bumpers and chrome inset around the grille and door handles. Hardly likely to set the heather alight, admittedly, but it does at least differentiate the 'new' from the `old'.