Since the mid 1990’s, Renault has become a familiar brand of car in South Africa. With the 70’s far out of the way (Renault had some popularity in South Africa during the 1970’s for car-enthusiasts and Formula 1 fans), Renault has become a leader amongst car brands in the Rainbow Nation since 2006. The Renault Megane, Renault Clio and Renault Scenic burst into the car market at this time and made a phenomenal success in the motor-car industry. Renault has since gone from strength to strength with excellent growth and massive improvements in the quality of their cars. Imperial Holdings introduced the Renault brand to South Africa in 1996, when sales targets were easily met. Renault had returned to the South African market with a vengeance.

 

Renault is known for its excellent service, excellent products and most importantly, excellent driving experience. The dedication to these points is what has helped Renault become the sought-after franchise that it is today. The company has a strict policy – providing high standards of after-sales service should never become overwhelmed by the immense growth of the company, assisting Renault in growing to a size of 56 dealerships without compromising on excellence of service. In fact, Renault has been named as a top service provider in an industry survey, further proving their dedication to excellence. These dealerships are located throughout South Africa.

 

As well as excellence in products and service, Renault has made a name for itself as a world leader in car safety. After testing at the Euro NCAP crash-testing programme, Renault achieved maximum marks for numerous models that were tested. This has established Renault as one of the safest car brands in the world. A total of eight of their vehicles received five stars. 

 

The Renault has also been a big success at the Car of the Year competition, a prestigious award ceremony held in South Africa to recognise excellence in motoring. The Clio won the competition in 2000, and the Megane was one of the seven finalists in 2004. The New Clio 3 was a finalist in 2007.

 

Renault South Africa was created in 2002, after Renault joined with Imperial Select and became the major shareholder in the company – Renault currently own 51% and Imperial Holdings earn 49%. South Africa is considered by Renault to be a major growth area in car sales.

 

"We have great confidence in South Africa and it is our intention to participate fully in the future growth of this country. We see our role as not only sharing in the growth of the automotive market here, but also sharing and assisting in the upliftment of this society that has so much potential. South Africa is earmarked to play a significant role in our company's global plan for a successful future," says Mr Xavier Gobille, the Managing Director of Renault SA.