Renault to roll out LCV red carpet with Pro+

RENAULT Australia will start rolling out 10 specialist business fleet dealerships under the French company’s Pro+ sub-brand from next month.

Already well established in many overseas markets, including Europe, Britain and Brazil, the Pro+ scheme provides dedicated sales and service for business customers large and small, especially those looking to buy Renault vans.

Sales of those vans – the Kangoo, Trafic and Master – have rocketed 63 per cent in Australia this year, with Australia Post among the customers to make the switch.

All 10 of the specialty centres are being established at existing Renault dealerships in capital cities, with others possibly to follow in other centres.

The first to nail up the Pro+ shingle will be in either Perth or Melbourne in August.

Sydney will get the most – three – with Melbourne getting two and the other capitals one each.

Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar told GoAuto at the Megane facelift media launch this week that many van buyers had particular requirements, such as specialty fit-out for particular loads or work tasks.

He said the Pro+ dealerships would have sales and service staff trained to handle such requests.

“Without such a service, the customer is frequently left to their own devices after they have bought the vehicle,” he said.

Mr Hocevar said Renault dealers were invited to apply for the Pro+ operation, that for the most part will be based in existing Renault sites.

He said most of the development of the Pro+ service was behind the scenes in the dealerships, including a new website where all of the Pro+ operators could share information, including contact details for fit-out suppliers and so on.

Sales of all three Renault van models are up markedly this year. The smallest of the three, the Kangoo, is running at double the sales pace of last year, with 328 units sold in the six months to the end of June.

The biggest seller is the Trafic, with a sales rise of 60.4 per cent to 722 units for the same period.

Despite being in the final year of the current model ahead of a new version arriving in March next year, the Trafic is now the third best-selling van in its class, behind the Toyota HiAce (3360) and Hyundai iLoad (2188).

The big Renault Master is also surging along, up 47 per cent, to 441 sales in the year to date.

In the UK, Pro+ dealers promise specialised sales attention from dedicated staff who are trained in business vehicle purchases, along with extended service hours, comprehensive showroom stock, on the spot test drives without a need to book and business fleet quotes in under 48 hours.