Renault Australia managing director Andrew Moore

RENAULT Australia has this week expanded its dealer network of electric-vehicle specialists to four after demand prompted the brand to extend sales of the battery-electric Zoe and Kangoo ZE to private buyers.

Sydney City Renault in Sydney and Barry Bourke Renault in Melbourne were appointed as the first two EV specialists for fleet buyers when sales of the Zoe light hatchback and Kangoo ZE small van commenced in late 2017.

However, Unley Renault in Adelaide and Melville Renault in Perth have now undergone EV specialist training so that their sales and service departments know the ins and outs of the Zoe and Kangoo ZE to enable them to engage with private buyers and owners.

Renault Australia says it has plans to further expand its network of metro-based EV specialists with a second dealer in Sydney and in Melbourne, as well as establishing a presence in Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart.

Speaking to GoAutoNews Premium last week at the official opening of the world-first Alliance National Distribution Centre in Truganina, Victoria, Renault Australia managing director Andrew Moore stressed the importance of EV specialists to the buyer experience.

“If a customer goes into a dealership and asks about EVs and the technology involved in the car, it’s better that they talk to a sales consultant that’s regularly talking about the EVs and is skilled in EVs versus going into any dealership and getting someone that has done the training but may have not had the regular opportunities to refresh their skill set on the vehicle,” he said.

Mr Moore explained that not all dealerships will become EV specialists in the short term due to the low sales expectations for Zoe and Kangoo ZEs .

“We’re broadening our dealer network in each state with EV (specialists),” he said.

“We want to make sure that we have specialists, rather than every dealer being an EV dealer. We’re probably not at the traffic (level) at the moment to keep (all of) their skill sets high enough.”

Sydney City Renault

Renault Australia sold 10 EVs through its two specialists in June. This was well above “the three or four a month” it was initially projecting.

According to Mr Moore, the larger network will increase Renault’s sales potential from both fleet and private buyers.

“The reason we (initially) went with the fleet model … was because we had a smaller network (of EV specialists) … but now that we’re going to have a larger network, the retail model is much more feasible,” he said.

“We’ve been working on that for a couple of months.”

“We saw there was a fleet possibility in each of those (metropolitan) markets. If that justifies the investment for the dealer and the ongoing activity for the dealer, so that they stay up to speed … then by enabling that network, we can then consider the retail model.

“They’ve recognised the opportunity that electric vehicles can bring to their local area, and they’ve made the investment in their dealership to become ZE-ready,” he said.

Barry Bourke Renault

Private and fleet buyers are able to identify EV specialists within the dealer network via the locator tool on Renault Australia’s website.

The Zoe is offered to private buyers in two grades, with the entry-level Life priced from $51,990 driveaway, while the flagship Intens attracts a $2550 premium. Both quoted prices are driveaway nationally.

Meanwhile, the Kangoo ZE small van is available to private buyers with a single Maxi grade, which starts from $52,527 driveaway in the Melbourne metro area.

Both the Zoe and Kangoo ZE have a five-year/100,000km warranty for their battery packs, while a three-year/unlimited-kilometre peace-of-mind agreement applies to their other parts.

The Zoe includes a 68kW/220Nm electric motor and a 41kWh battery pack, which delivers 400km of driving range, or about 300km of real-world usage in summer conditions.

Alternatively, the Kangoo ZE features a 44kW/225Nm electric motor and a 33kWh battery pack, which provides about 200km of real-world driving range.

By Justin Hilliard

Renault Zoe