http://carandvannews.co.uk/2013/07/11/renault-prepared-to-be-patient-over-electric-sales/ Renault prepared to be patient over electric sales July 11, 2013 DrivenData Reporter
[image http://carandvannews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1307RenaultZoe.jpg ] Renault believes playing the long game is essential in trying to establish electric cars on the market. The brand expects that it might have to be as patient as Toyota was over the introduction of hybrids. “You only have to look at sales of the Prius in the beginning,” Beatrice Foucher, vice-president of Renault’s electric vehicle programme, tells Headline Auto. “It took eight years to show any volume.” Renault has 50 per cent of the European electric vehicle market, although there is currently only a handful of competitors and the company’s cumulative EV sales since introducing the first of four models 18 months ago have only reached 29,000. But Foucher believes EVs will start to gain more credibility this autumn when German brands BMW and Volkswagen enter the market, as will Ford. She is also encouraged by the early success of the ZOE electric supermini. This has notched up 6,000 sales in its first three months on the market – almost two-thirds of them in France – and is now available in 11 countries. “In France, everything coming from the customers is positive – the key word they are using is ‘refined’,” says Foucher. “They say they are buying the car for driving pleasure and design – the same words they are using for a car with an internal combustion engine.” The ZOE brings down the cost of EV ownership because it has been designed to use the same components as the new Clio where possible, and to go down the same production line at the Flins factory to the west of Paris. In several countries there are also sizeable government handouts to encourage take-up. France offers buyers €7,000, while in the UK there is a £5,000 grant that brings the start point of the range down to £13,995. The Scandinavian countries are also helping to boost EV sales. “When technology is new it is more expensive. The battery is expensive, the motor is expensive and the charger is expensive,” says Foucher, adding; “We need to have bonuses otherwise we cannot sell at a competitive price.” [© carandvannews.co.uk] http://www.businesscar.co.uk/news/2013/renault-keeps-faith-in-electric-residual-values Renault keeps faith in electric residual values 12 July 2013 Renault believes the residual values of electric vehicles are strong enough to appeal to the fleet industry, despite long-standing derision from RV specialist Cap. For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: Fiat Sings The Body Electric EVLN: "Man-bites-plugins on greener-energy" EVLN: Mazda sez 'no plugins', just wants ice profits EVLN: Tesla Charging Stations Versus Chevron Gas Stations + EVLN: Nissan Zeod RC @Goodwood Festival Of Speed {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Renault-believes-in-playing-the-long-EV-game-tp4664259.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
