Renault Australia is looking to divest its wholesale passenger car and light commercial vehicle operations to the independent Sydney-based distributor Ateco Group according to a report by Car Advice.
Car Advice reports that Renault Australia is yet to confirm the change of distribution but says it believes an announcement is imminent.
Ateco Group told Autotalk it has no comment to make on the matter, and a spokesperson for Renault Australia says they are unable to comment on this speculation at this time.
Currently Renault Australia has more than 60 dealerships nationally. The brand returned to Australia in 2001 following the formation of the then Renault-Nissan alliance.
Sales climbed from 1947 units in 2001 to a peak of 11,525 in 2015. Since then, sales have declined in the past five years. The brand recorded sales of 11,109 units in 2016, 10,812 units in 2017, 10,018 units in 2018, 8634 units in 2019, and 6904 units in 2020.
The move to an independent distributor is not new for the Renault brand in Australasia.
In New Zealand the Renault brand is currently distributed by a privately owned company Auto Drive Holdings which also has the official distribution channel for the Hyundai and Isuzu Ute brands.
1 comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The French are leaving? Dealer margins down, Distributor to Dealer service quality down.