Renault Ireland’s managing director Eric Basset has set an interesting challenge for his dealer network and team that aims to see 1,000 Renault electric vehicles sold by the manufacturer in Ireland next year.
The Renault boss, who has overseen the marque’s market share double since his arrival in Ireland in 2009, is confident that one in every t10 Renault vehicles sold in 2012 will be electric.
He has also stood by his commitment to make electric vehicles affordable to all and reminds those in any doubt that Ireland is leading the way in Europe for infrastructure and availability of electric vehicles.
Renault launched its electric vehicle offensive in 2008 with the announcement of its comprehensive line-up of four electric models, the first of which has arrived on Irish roads just last Monday.
The Renault Kangoo ZE is now available to test drive at dealerships all over the country priced from €16,400 including VRT ex VAT and including the Government grant of €3,800.
Additionally, the Kangoo ZE battery will cost €75 ex VAT per month to lease (based on 48 months, 15,000km per year ). Renault Kangoo ZE will be available in three sizes including the Kangoo Maxi ZE two seat and five seat models. It comes with five years unlimited mileage warranty as standard.
Renault tells us that the electric van has already seen a huge interest in France where 15,000 Kangoo ZE have already been ordered by some of France’s largest companies including La Poste, the French postal service.
Renault is set to become the only manufacturer to introduce a range of 100 per cent electric vehicles starting with the Kangoo ZE van. Next up will be the Fluence ZE Saloon. It will be launched here in March 2012 with pre-launch test drives from January. The price for the pre-launch model is €21,620 including VAT and the Government incentive of €5,000. The additional battery rental will run from €82 per month.
After that comes the Twizy urban quadricycle and also on the horizon is a compact hatch the ZOE, all due to appear on Irish roads in 2012.
Eric Basset, managing director, Renault Ireland told the Advertiser at the press launch last Friday: “Renault’s Irish team is the best trained network in electric vehicles in all of Europe following extended training over the past year in technology, after sales, and customer care. We have committed fully to the arrival of our range of ZE vehicles in Ireland, and recently employed eight ambassadors who are each fully dedicated experts in electric vehicles.
“Our strategy from day one was to make electric vehicles affordable to all and we are standing by this by bringing in our range at prices that cannot be matched by our competitors.”
He concluded by saying: “Ireland is ready for electric. It’s not our future, it’s the present, and Renault Ireland is ready to sell affordable electric vehicles to suit all lifestyles.”
