Renault Trafic 2014 News

Jaguar Land Rover Australia has recalled 642 examples of its XF luxury sedan, while Renault Australia has called back 1472 light-commercial Trafic vans.

The company recognises that passenger car dealerships can have different priorities when it comes to working with customers buying a work van."We understand that van customers have very different needs to passenger car customers," says Renault spokeswoman Emily Fadeyev.The van-focused Renault Pro+ outlets are attached to existing Renault dealerships but the spaces are separate."The Pro+ dealerships have different hours for service and for sales than regular Renault dealerships, reflecting the customer needs," Fadeyev says.Renault Australia aims to have eight Pro+ dealerships up and running by the end of the yearThe dealerships feature the Renault range of vans, with examples of fitout options such as racks and bulkheads. Previously, customers could see these items only in a brochure or online gallery. The van space also allows customers to get a good look at the haulers. In regular dealerships, the vans are sometimes squeezed into corners out of the way of star attraction passenger models.The first three Pro+ dealerships are at Brighton Renault in Victoria, Main North Renault in Adelaide and Sunshine Renault on the Gold Coast.Renault Australia aims to have eight Pro+ dealerships up and running by the end of the year, doubling that by the end of 2016.Commercial vehicles are important to Renault Australia and Vfacts figures show vans accounted for more than one third of the brand's sales tally in 2014.In that year, the Trafic van was Renault Australia's third bestseller, with 1643 sales, trailing the Koleos SUV with 1709 and Clio with 2611.Renault expects to see a boost in its commercial sales this year thanks to a recently arrived face-lifted Master van and a new Trafic, which has just arrived.

Renault Trafic ad shows how 'K.I.T.T.' the new van can be for tradies.Renault is set to officially pull the covers off the new third-generation Trafic at the Paris motor show next month, but the French carmaker has given us a taste of the new light-commercial van's capabilities in a new recreation of the classic opening sequence of the 1980s David Hasselhoff TV classic Knight Rider. Cheekily titled TraficRider, the ad showcases the Trafic as a companion to everyday hero tradies, but the touchscreen multimedia interface is as close as the Trafic will get to K.I.T.T.'s sidekick-level artificial intelligence. There's no suggestion the Trafic can talk to its owner like K.I.T.T. did, but we'd love to see the grille scanner appear on the options list when the new model likely arrives early next year.

Over there, the van will also be sold as the Nissan Primastar as well as the Vauxhall and Opel Vivaro, but of all these models, only the Renault will come to Australia and it will be on sale here next year. Renault is saving much of the detail of its all-important load hauler, but says it features an all new interior and exterior design and will introduce a swag of new technology.To be built at Sandouville, France, the Trafic will be available with a new 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel with two turbochargers which help return a remarkable average fuel consumption figure of less than 6L/100km. There will also be a single turbo version of the same engine, which uses a variable geometry turbocharger.  It is not quite as efficient as the double-boosted unit but still uses 15 per cent less than the one it replaces.Renault says the new Trafic will be available in a wide range of body styles and there will be two different heights, two different lengths, a regular cargo van, passenger van and a cab-chassis ute.The third generation Trafic features a modern and masculine design that is not as out-there as some French designs.  It has a blunt nose with a deep grille for optimum cooling. The headlights stretch up and away from the grille and a design crease starts just beneath the wing mirror, drops down and then runs along the side of the van, rising up and over the rear wheel arch.Renault says the new van is more dynamic than ever before, with sharper lines. It adds that the new Trafic  retains the sturdy look of the existing machine thanks to a grey wrap-around plastic bumper that looks like it can take plenty of hard knocks. 

The Trafic has been a popular choice for vannies, notching more than 1.6 million sales in the past three decades.The image you see provides a preview glimpse of several of the forthcoming vehicle's features. "Its lines embody Renault's new brand identity with the aim of achieving a dynamic, assertive stance without sacrificing either the robustness or user-friendliness customers expect of their van.The third generation Trafic has focused on meeting the needs of business customers more closely than ever, by providing them with 'Innovation for a Better Life'.The appeal of the van produced by Europe's number one LCV manufacturer since 1998 is boosted by revised styling, new technologies and a range of new engines that benefit from Renault's expertise in the world of Formula 1 racing. 

There are other ways, but they are mostly less flattering. But that could all be about to change is a teaser sketch of the next generation Trafic is anywhere near accurate. Renault has decided to try and create some anticipation for its next generation van, which will go on sale in Europe later this year, by releasing this sketch by company designer Kihyun Jung.If borne out in a production model, the new look would mark a clear change of direction from the Trafic's current rounded design.  The new van's most prominent feature is the hard angled lines of its headlights, which are relatively narrow and lead up into the bonnet. It is an aggressive, masculine theme that is continued on with the shape of the doors and rear window. There are few rounded edges on the sketched vehicle, with kinks used for the window edges adding to a much cleaner and simpler design.The design sketch features a large stylised front bumper that looks like it belongs to a passenger SUV or sports car, with featured fog-lights. It is likely that the production version will have a less complex front bumper that would be easier to replace given the likelihood for dings and scrapes.Renault is not giving away how close the sketch is to the production Trafic, but the fact it has no door join suggests it is more of a loose sketch aimed at outlining the theme of the vehicle. The sketch also has oversized alloy wheels with low profile tyres that are not likely to make it into production.Jung explains the idea behind the sketch: "Its lines embody Renault's new brand identity," Jung says. "My aim was to achieve a dynamic, assertive stance without sacrificing either the robustness or user-friendliness customers expect of their van."