2023-07-11 05:30:00
Initially, its high price (from 38,000 euros, ecological bonus not deducted, and up to 48,500 euros in the top-of-the-range version) made it the typical – and denigrated – example of electric mobility outside price. Yes, but… Yes, but, customers are waiting for the Mégane e-Tech, launched a year and a half ago. Yes, but the user experience is exciting. Yes, but Renault, with its 100% electric vehicle, ensures comfortable financial income, and therefore room for manoeuvre.
Numbers first. Twenty-three thousand copies sold in Europe and 9,488 in France over the first six months of 2023. “Today, the Mégane e-Tech is selling better than the thermal Mégane, which would have been unthinkable a a few months”, observes Guillaume Longeon, expert in the automotive sector in a large consulting firm. It is thus ahead of the Tesla Model 3 (from 41,990 euros, ecological bonus not deducted), positioned in the same segment, sold at 8,624 copies sold over the same period, according to statistics from the Automotive Platform, the organization that structures the sector in France.
Incidentally, the house unions – which are not always tender at Renault – applaud. “This car is a gem, doe Laurent Giblot, industrial designer and elected CGT. And for employees, it’s work for tomorrow. »
Tesla’s reverse strategy
“The Mégane e-Tech is at the crossroads of living cars and technology”, enthuses Fabrice Cambolive, the general manager of the Renault brand, not necessarily the most objective. Yes but… (once once more), the experts are on the same line. The Mégane e-Tech is undeniably attractive. It must be said that several good fairies have bent over his cradle, whether Luc Julia, the creator of Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, now scientific director of the Renault group, or Gilles Vidal, defector from PSA, current director of design.
“Line, assembly, finishes, the car is very close to the quality of German premiums”, estimates Guillaume Longeon. An advantage, at a time when the Chinese MG 4 from SAIC (29,990 euros, ecological bonus not deducted; 7,573 registrations in France over the first six months of the year), “less qualitative, does it a lot of harm in the attacker by the price”, points out the consultant of a builder.
In the end, the Mégane e-Tech symbolizes the strategy of Luca De Meo, the general manager of the Renault group: to favor margins over volume. Like Carlos Tavares, the big boss of Stellantis. And unlike the current strategy of Elon Musk, the bubbling boss of Tesla, determined to keep his giant factories running at full speed.
“The Mégane e-Tech is not aimed at the people, concedes Laurent Giblot, the elected CGT. More like CSP +, but its high price allows us to bring in cash, we need it. When Tesla lowered its prices, Renault did not budge. Dangerous ? Not that much, if you look closely. The absence of discounts preserves the “residual value” – the resale price – decisive for buyers, of course, and the basis for calculating rental rents with an option to buy.
“The residual value of the Mégane e-Tech is excellent, and it has only increased,” boasts Fabrice Cambolive. This stability allows us, today, to offer rents from 300 euros per month. The customers are there, and moreover they often opt for top-of-the-range finishes. “Unlike Tesla buyers, notes Guillaume Longeon. Elon Musk’s firm, today, sells mainly at the entry level. »
Shadows on the board
Cock-a-doodle Doo ? Yes, and Renault – by waving the banner of this “vehicle of conquest, since 60% of customers who buy a Mégane did not have a Renault before”, underlines Fabrice Cambolive – does not hesitate to play the made in France card. . The Mégane e-Tech, manufactured in Douai, in the North, is a local product. Roosters, tricolor flags, discreet blue-white-red stitching are, depending on the version, so many little winks in the passenger compartment.
Of course, there are shadows on the board. No one will admit it at Renault, but sales remain a little below expectations. Another concern is the repeated shutdowns of production lines in recent months. “Lack of orders,” spurred some of the builder’s unions. ” Fake ! “, retorts Fabrice Cambolive, who records the interruptions, but puts them on the account “of supply disruptions and technological choices to be made”.
Now, the Mégane e-Tech has found its rhythm. Originally, she was not to be called Mégane. It was Luca de Meo, who likes to do something new with something old, who insisted on keeping the name. Mégane: the appellation has its price, like any appellation of origin, but it sells well.
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