Renault Trucks has reported a 12% increase in orders for 2020 despite a Covid-19-induced fall in total volumes globally for the year, with the company recording improved performance in the international markets outside Europe and in its used trucks business.
The Volvo-owned French truck maker said that “in a year marked by an unprecedented health crisis”, its priority was to preserve customers activity, with “over 90% of Renault Trucks’ sales and service outlets continuing to welcome customers and their trucks during the height of the pandemic”.
The company added that in this “unprecedented context and despite a downturn in volume, with a total of 41,117 vehicles invoiced in 2020”, it has maintained its market share.
“Over 90% of the Renault Trucks sales network remained open at the height of the pandemic. On March 18, 2020, to protect the safety of its employees, Renault Trucks decided to close its four French plants. Production gradually resumed from April 23, 2020,” said a statement from the company.
“The pandemic and resulting economic crisis strongly impacted the HGV market in 2020. Renault Trucks’ 2020 invoicing volume followed the market trend, falling by 24% to 41,117 vehicles,” the statement added.
Giving a breakdown of invoicing per destination, the company revealed that it invoiced 17,937 vehicles in its home market of France, 19,019 vehicles in Europe excluding France and 4,161
Vehicles in the rest of the world. Breaking down the invoicing per tonnage, Renault Trucks said that 26,246 heavy and mid-range vehicles and 14,871 light-duty vehicles were invoiced in 2020.
Renault Trucks added that it held its ground in a turbulent European market thanks to the setting up of organisations dedicated to the brand and the creation of flexible offers, specifically adapted to customers’ needs in times of crisis. In the European market for vehicles over 6t, the French manufacturer recorded a stable market share of 8.5% in 2020. Market share remained unchanged in the over 16t segment at 8.8% and in the mid-range segment (6-16t), it rose by 0.3 points to 6.6%.
In France, on its domestic market, Renault Trucks remains the undisputed leader with a >6t market share of 28.3%, up 0.6%. On a positive note, in the last quarter of 2020, Renault Trucks recorded a 40% increase in orders compared to the previous year (Q4 2020 vs Q4 2019).
Meanwhile international sales were up 16% at Renault Trucks, marked in particular by strong recovery in Algeria, with 1,100 trucks invoiced, up 80% on 2019. It has also recorded a 47.8% share of the over-16t market for European manufacturers in the North African country in which it has traditionally been a strong performer.
Closer to the GCC, In the buoyant Turkish market, Renault Trucks achieved strong growth in invoiced sales, rising from 640 vehicles in 2019 to 1,061 in 2020. The brand also saw good performances in sub-Saharan Africa, where Renault Trucks offers a dedicated range of used vehicles.
In the used trucks business, which the company terms “a strategic sector”, the statement added that the “actions taken with respect to the specification of new trucks (with a view to their future arrival on the used truck market), as well as initiatives introduced during the pandemic in terms of financing flexibility, ease of contract interruption, etc.”, enabled the manufacturer to perform well in 2020. Renault Trucks recorded a record volume of invoicing with 10,308 used vehicles invoiced, an increase of 9% on 2019.
Renault Trucks has also increased its performance in terms of used truck services, with service penetration up 4 points on 2019 to 28%. The number of used trucks sold with a Selection warranty contract also rose 25% in 2020.
Renault Trucks said it is “adopting an entirely innovative approach to the used vehicle market, with a strategy that is “unique on the market and is based on upcycling and recycling”.
“The best illustration of this is the Used Trucks Factory, a specialised workshop for the transformation of used trucks integrated into the Bourg-en-Bresse manufacturing site. The conversions carried out there are the subject of specific R&D studies and, in terms of the industrial manufacturing process and quality control, meet the same high standards as those applied to the manufacture of new vehicles. 500 additional vehicles were manufactured at the Used Trucks Factory in 2020 and new models were launched this year, such as the Renault Trucks T X-64, a vehicle dedicated to the African and Middle Eastern markets,” said the manufacturer.
Renault Trucks is also pursuing the implementation of its own recycling and reuse of parts for heavy goods vehicles, with Indra Automobile Recycling. This project has been approved by the French ADEME environmental agency.
Renault Trucks is also invest heavily in electric mobility and has announced that by 2025, electric vehicles will represent 10% of its total vehicle sales and 35% by 2030. The ultimate goal is to provide 100% of its vehicles without fossil fuels by 2040.