Renault has used the launch of its Nissan Juke rival, the Captur, to dramatically alter its approach to residual values, according to UK managing director Ken Ramirez.
“The most important change for Renault is that we have new models that are increasing our residual values,” he said. “You need to have appeal for the product across fleet and retail, and the new Clio and Captur are moving in that direction.”
He continued: “We have made a lot of effort within the company to improve our communications in our products to improve RVs, including earlier visibility to RV providers so they know what’s coming next.”
He said RVs for the Captur have reflected the change in approach: “The Captur is at 43%, which is the first time we’ve been in the 40s since the Scenic II.
“It is primarily about the product, but that is not enough by itself. The Captur is a very good indicator of where the company is heading.”
Ramirez added that the launch of a lower medium crossover, to compete with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, would occur in 2015, and will be “an important product” for fleet, alongside the core Clio and Megane vehicles.
The facelifted Megane comes early next year, but the changes will only be visual. Ramirez said, however, an all-new model would arrive in 2016.