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Renault joins race

25th March 1999, Page 54
25th March 1999
Page 54
Page 54, 25th March 1999 — Renault joins race
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Keywords : Renault

• New Renault VI dealer council chairman Brian Silvey believes Renault has turned the corner after too many lean years as an also-ran in the British truck market. And it's the Premium that's made the difference, he believes.

As general manager of Hullbased dealership Thompson Commercials he's receiving far more inquiries than he used to, and sales staff are finding it easier to get appointments with customers who dismissed Renaults in the past. And they're winning business from Scania, Daf and Volvo, he claims.

"We're not getting orders on price—we've passed that barrier— but on the quality of the product," says Silvey.

"As Hull is a port, at Thompson we're finding that the most popular tractors are the 6x2 Premium 385 and 400 Privileges," he continues. Customers favour a double bunk and a high roof, but the single-bunk Privileges without a passenger seat look set to be popular too.

"Magnum is still selling reasonably well, but there's not as big a market for it as there once was," he admits. All manufacturers face a buyback problem to some degree, but Savoy believes Renault is managing its buy-backs well.

"On the used side we're getting one or two buy-back Premiums in now, and there's a healthy demand for them," says Silvey. "We're also finding that the old Turboliners are popular, especially the 6x2s, and Magnum is doing well as a used vehicle."

Thompson's ter ritory extends north from Hull to Whitby, west towards Ripon, Thirsk, Harrogate, and Wetherby, and south to Sherburnin-Elmet. "It's the old East Riding of Yorkshire plus a chunk of North Yorkshire," Silvey explains.

The company opened a four-bay service workshop plus a sales operation at Boroughbridge last August to improve its coverage, and has an independent service dealer not far from York.

The Hull workshop opens from 8am to ropm on weekdays, 7am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 7am to 2pm on Sundays. "We're seeing a big swing to contract maintenance, and more and more operating leases are being sold with maintenance," he says.

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People: Brian Silvey
Locations: York

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