The mid-sized Renault Koleos SUV will have a seven-year warranty until the end of 2020.
Instead of the standard Renault five-year warranty, the Toyota RAV4-rivalling crossover will have Kia-matching coverage until December 31, 2020.
Renault is pushing to make the Koleos a more popular choice in the strong-selling mid-sized SUV segment, where the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 dominate.
Renault has sold 926 examples of the Koleos to date in 2020, down from 1407 to the same point in 2019.
Toyota has sold 24,678 RAV4s during the same period, while the second-best-selling Mazda CX-5 is sitting on 13,380 sales to date.
“We are very happy to extend this fantastic offer to Australian customers and confirm the Koleos as one of the best value SUVs in the market,” said Renault Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann.
Renault Australia earlier this year declared it’s in Australia “for the long haul” with a renewed focus on SUVs and light commercial vehicles, as it looks to reverse a five-year sales slide.
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“We saw what happened with Holden and we saw people asking about brands in Australia, and we just wanted to reaffirm today that is not an option for Renault,” a Renault Australia spokesperson told media.
“We are here for the long haul, and we’re staying.”
At its 2015 peak Renault Australia sold more than 11,000 cars, but annual sales dropped to 8634 in 2019, putting it behind Land Rover and Lexus, and narrowly ahead of Chinese up-and-comer MG.
Renault Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann said huge volumes aren’t necessarily the goal, as the brand pitches at buyers “seeking an alternative to the mainstream”.
Plans to bring the light Clio hatchback and city-sized Zoe electric car to Australia have been cancelled, as neither could meet Renault’s “far greater volume ambitions” going forward.
The new Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona-rivalling Captur SUV will arrive in 2021, giving the brand a much-needed boost in one of Australia’s most competitive segments.
It will be followed by an updated mid-sized Koleos SUV in the middle of 2021, while the Nissan Qashqai-based Kadjar will be replaced in the second half of 2021 (after less than two years on sale) by the coupe-styled Arkana.
