Sharing the Small SUV segment

RENAULT Australia insists its incoming Captur small SUV has what it takes to stand tall against its twin-under-the-skin Mitsubishi ASX.

Speaking at the launch of the Renault Duster in Melbourne this week, the French importer said that despite the obvious similarities between the Captur and Mitsubishi ASX, the “nuances” in styling and equipment will differentiate the pair in the eyes of prospective buyers.

“When you look at model sharing across the board, it has been a common practice in Australia,” explained Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey.

“We have had model sharing previously with the (Nissan) X-Trail, (Mitsubishi) Outlander, and (Renault) Koleos, and there has been room for the Koleos to operate in the environment.

“There are different brand nuances between the Captur and the ASX – and there is room for both to compete.”

When questioned as to whether the Captur would be positioned as a more premium offering to the more mainstream ASX, Mr Sealey said, “While I know what we have (coming), I actually don’t know what Mitsubishi have”.

Mr Sealey said the position of the Renault brand as neither a mainstream nor premium offering locally was one that offered it certain advantages.

In competing between both ends of the market, he said that models like the Captur and Duster would vie in the “heart” of the Small SUV segment, a price zone he estimates to be between the $30,000 and $40,000 bracket.

Quoting VFACTS data, Mr Sealey said 30 per cent of sales in the Small SUV segment come from below the $30K point, and 27 per cent in the “$40-45K layer”, with the remainder between the $30-40K price range.

“If you look at how the market typically is today, particularly in the SUV segment in which the Duster competes, then it’s fair to say that sub-$30K is not us. We’re not in that bargain basement area,” he said.

“But we’re also not in that very premium end, either. Of course, we do have cars that sit there (in the over $45K segment), which is the Arkana, and we do have cars that sit above that, which is Megane E-Tech.

“But we’re never going to play in that bottom 30 per cent, so to speak.

“We will be in that ‘spike’ of the segment, and you will see that with all of our products – whether it’s the Small SUV segment or the van segment, you will see that displayed all the way through.”

As a challenger brand – one that is not quite mainstream but not premium, either – Mr Sealey said he believes Renault appeals to an audience that appreciates the idiosyncratic position of its vehicles, while at the same understanding their engineering and heritage.

“We will always operate as a challenger brand (in Australia) because our volume is relatively low … but the reality of life is we are able to command – as long as the product is good enough – a premium position within that segment,” he proffered.

The Renault Duster is on sale now. Visit GoAuto again for our local launch review of the model from Lang Lang in Victoria.