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Motor Show a launching pad for next year
Page 96
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A CAUTIOUS Gaelic view was presented to our cautious Gaelic editor by Guy-Francois Caunegre of Renault Trucks & Buses (UK) LTd.
For Renault, 1981 started at the Motor Show. That took so much effort that there was the temptation to wind down afterwards.
Because the Show is such an expensive business, both from the point of view of the cash outlay and the number of people you have to commit to it, we must never make the mistake of regarding it as a culmination of the current year but as the platform for the next 12 months' effort.
Renault Trucks at least is looking forward to the next 12 months with a great deal of confidence. It would be unrealistic to ignore the effects of the severe depression, but equally unrealistic to let it unduly influence our mediumand longterm plans for growth in the UK.
The industry has experienced similar difficulties in the past and I don't have to be much of a prophet to suggest that this will not be the last time.
In spite of the fall-off in sales for the market as a whole, registrations of Renault vehicles are up by about 30 per cent on the same period last year, with a satisfactory increase in market share.
We are still a modest-sized company, so in terms of the numbers of units sold we still have a long way to go. But our philosophy has always been the same — that the growth of Renault Trucks & Buses should go hand-in-hand with the development of our dealer network and our after sales support.
The past year has seen a lot of effort put into this aspect of our activities. At the time of the Scottish Show last November we had around 30 main dealers and service points.
Now we have a 50-strong network, which includes significant appointments in Glasgow (Rossleigh Commercial, part of the Heron Motor Group) and London, where we have signed up three Normand outlets. We also have representation in Northern Ireland through Montgomery Trucks, The next 12 months should see several more appointments, so by the time the Scottish Show comes round again we should be approaching full strength with sales and service cover in all key areas.
Part of our confidence for the future stems from the fact that for the first time we were able to take a full range of vehicles to the Motor Show — from 7.38 tons right up to 40 tons. They include two new trucks introduced only this year — the GF151 16-tonner and the TF231 32-34 tons artic.
With up-to-date products competing in all major market sectors we feel that our dealers are well-equipped to face the next 12 months. They can also cour on a number of marketing aia to help them sell lorries, such a Multicover, which was the fin manufacturer's warranty exter sion scheme which could be ap plied to new and used vehicle of any make: On the service side we hay restructured our 24-hours ernei gency service arrangements. Help!, which is now operated National Breakdown Recover' Services.
Obviously, we have concen trated. our energies on firm!,
establishing our lorry range, am we will be exploring the possibi lities for our buses and coaches starting with the single-decke( PR100 city bus which is on ou stand at NEC.
Although Renault is one o Europe's biggest makers of pas senger transport vehicles we wil be starting from scratch as far as. the UK is concerned, so we'll bE feeling our way for the time being.