Valentina Solari He arrives at the Kota Beach inn, in Pinamar Norte, and sits down at a journalists’ table. 2023 has just begun and the Commercial Director of renault argentina It is in charge of disseminating the balance of the year that passed and anticipating what the future plans of the brand are. The first fact that he shares will be repeated throughout the meeting: “We grew 26% in our sales and patenting compared to a market that grew 7%. I mean, we tripled,” she says.
Solari spoke to the press on January 11 at the inn that Renault Argentina is sponsoring this season on the coast, where the company set up an off-road deployment with entertainment activities and benefits in the brand’s loyalty program. She was accompanied by Hernan Bardi, director of Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability of the company. The talk focused on the reasons why such above-average growth was achieved and some projections were advanced.
“In 2022, 15% of what was manufactured in Argentina was exported and for this year 2023 we will go to 25% in exports and the trend will continue “Bardy says. Part of the explanation, Solari maintains, is found in the incorporation of a second manufacturing shift, which made it possible to increase the volume of units. And, furthermore, in the incorporation of new export destinations.
Short term. One of the announcements of the day had to do with the export of the Kangoo manufactured in Argentina. Bardi maintains that progress is being made so that it “arrives as quickly as possible in Brazil”, something that will happen in 2024. In addition, the director announced that for the first time this vehicle will be exported outside of Latin America, although he did not confirm what that destination will be.
Regarding production and sales, Solari also anticipated that there will be an increase, although not exorbitant: “We estimate a slight growth that will be above the 45,000 registrations that we made in 2022. In 2023 we expect to exceed that number, in a passenger car market that will be above 400,000 units, not counting heavy vehicles”, he assured.
The reasons that could put a ceiling have to do, according to the director, with the fact that certain international obstacles that complicate the acquisition of parts and components and a national economic context that she described as “challenging” have not yet been overcome: ” We always look for Argentina to be a priority in terms of parts to be able to manufacture all the vehicles we want in our plant. But this is going to be month by month,” she added.
The issue of national production appeared recurrently. PFor Renault Argentina, the fact that 90% of sales have been locally manufactured vehicles is noteworthy. In total there are six models that are manufactured here: Sandero, Stepway, Logan, Kangoo -in its utilitarian and private version- and Alaskan.
Since a second manufacturing shift was implemented in August at the Santa Isabel plant (in the province of Córdoba), Renault Argentina managed to increase the pace and volume of production. The jump was from producing 70,000 units to projecting 90,000 by 2023. In labor terms, it also implied the hiring of 500 new employees.
One model that got a lot of attention was the Alaskan. Renault executives are confident that this vehicle is one of the vehicles with the greatest potential for growth in the domestic market: last year 4,000 units of these cars were patented and it is estimated to reach 5,000 in the year that has just begun.. “We see great potential in the business of sales to company fleets,” added Solari.
Recently, in addition, Renault Argentina had announced that it was working to manufacture a new model in the country. About this project, Solari maintained a certain reservation, although he confirmed that the plan is working: “For now we can say that it is a vehicle that is going to change the entire profile of the factory because 70% of its production is going to be destined for export. But the final approval of the project is still missing, ”he said.
The announcements to the press came shortly after the directors held a meeting with the top leaders of the French company. And, compared to the numbers presented by the rest of the subsidiaries, “Argentina was the country that contributed the best results to the group”Solari maintained.
electrical. On the same day as the announcements to the press, at night, the authorities were also in Cariló, at the exclusive inn that this season was named the Renault Summer Experience. Santiago do Rego, the journalist specialized in technology, was the host of the event in which the three electric and imported models that the company will have for sale in 2023 were presented.
These are the Kwid E-Tech, Mégane E-Tech and Jango E-Tech. The brand has not yet confirmed the prices or the stock that it will have available for each model. In any case, Solari stressed that the formal launches will take place during the second semester, where sales projections will be announced. “E-tech are the immediate future of Renault in Argentina,” added the directive.
The new twist in the company’s marketing, which has already translated into results, is part of the “Renault Revolution“, either “renaulution”, a global plan launched by the CEO of the Renault Group, Luca de Meoin January 2021. The objective is for the brand to reduce costs, optimize its range of models and create a concept of a global company in a path that will extend, in stages, until 2025.
