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| Monday, 1 September 2003 |
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Renault drives into Lankan market by Pramod de Silva Renault will be making a comeback to Sri Lanka after 25 years in November, thanks to a dynamic partnership between the French carmaker and Associated Motorways Limited (AMW), one of Sri Lanka's leading automobile companies. This partnership, in turn, is based on the Renault-Nissan alliance which has catapulted Nissan into a profit-making venture after several years in the red and Nissan's decades-long association with AMW. "We are proud to re-introduce Renault vehicles to Sri Lanka. We are sure that discerning local buyers will appreciate the sheer quality and prestige of Renault cars. Renault will successfully fit into our product portfolio," says Ranjan de Silva, Director/ General Manager of AMW's Motor Division. The groundwork has already been laid for Renault's entry, with the training of engineers and service personnel. There will be a separate showroom and service facilities for Renault. Dedicated sales personnel will help customers to choose the right Renault for their needs. "We will initially bring in two cars - the Laguna II and the Megane, Car of the Year. We will expand the product range as we go on, but we want to get things right from the start. It is not a volume car - customer care is our main concern, not just selling the cars," says de Silva. The Megane comes in three petrol engine variants - 1.4 litre, 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre. Five speed manual, six speed manual and proactive four speed sequential shift gearboxes can be specified. The Laguna too comes in three engine versions - 1.6 litre, 1.8 litre and 2.0 litre. An automatic gearbox can be specified for the 1.8 litre and 2.0 litre versions. De Silva explained that cars will be fully tropicalised, with heavy duty airconditioning and suspension settings that match local roads. De Silva expressed confidence that the French marque will gain a considerable market share in the years ahead, thanks to competitive pricing, quality and reliability. The other two French makes are already available in Sri Lanka. He disclosed that the other three brands handled by AMW (Nissan, Maruti and Yamaha) are "doing very well". Renault will fit in well among these brands and there will be no 'brand conflict' as each make of car/bike caters to a different segment of clients, he said. |
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