Renault Trafic News

Renault is bringing the fight to the Hyundai iLoad and Toyota HiAce in the commercial van segment, by offering significant upgrades on its Trafic van for 2020.

Renault Australia’s Trafic mid-size van is now available with a limited-run Formula Edition variant.The F1-inspired grade has returned for 2019, based on the 103kW/340Nm 1.6-litre turbo-diesel Trafic, and once again boasting unique exterior styling and a strong list of standard equipment.Available in both short- and long-wheelbase guise, the Trafic Formula Edition can be had from $41,490 plus on-road costs and $43,490, respectively, which translates to a $3000 and $3500 premium compared to the vehicles upon which they are based.The Formula Edition is equipped exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox.For the extra bags of sand, the Formula Edition features dark cloth upholstery, a heated driver’s seat, unique floor mats, climate control, a wide-view reversing mirror, LED interior lighting, a dashboard storage compartment and a start/stop button.The interior also gains chrome touches on the instrument panel surround, gear knob, and speaker panels, and gloss black surrounds are added to the air vents.Renault will also include a high-security dead-locking system, a stainless-steel bumper lip to make the load bay more secure and a dealer-fitted timber cargo floor.The flooring is made from nine-millimetre hardwood with a hard-wearing, non-slip surface.Distinguishing the Formula Edition is a red exterior decal kit, which is included with both the White and Storm Grey paint options, black 17-inch alloys and body-coloured bumpers.According to Renault Australia LCV product manager Lyndon Healey, the brand is confident that the Formula Edition will help drive light-commercial sales.“Over the past few years the exclusive Formula Edition has brought many new customers to Renault LCV,” he said.“In addition to referencing Renault Sport’s involvement in Formula 1, the feature-rich list of extra equipment and the stand out design elements really appeal to SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) and tradie buyers,” he said.“More importantly for keen Trafic drivers, the manual six-speed gearbox is the same as that used in the high-performance Renault Sport Megane hot-hatch, so there’s a little bit of Renault Sport magic in every Trafic,”Only a “small number” of Formula Edition vans will be available in 2019, however, it is unclear exactly how many units are allocated.“With only a small number of Formula Edition vans available in 2019, fans of sporty Trafics are encouraged to race into their local Renault dealer before they sell out.” 

Renault has launched updates for its Master large van and Trafic medium van, which will be updated in late 2019. Upgrades are focused mostly on drivetrains, the most important news being the Trafic is now available with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It is currently only available with a six-speed manual. Drivetrains on the Trafic and Master have been updated. The Trafic is now only available with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine in 89kW, 108kW and 126kW power forms.The 2.0L replaced the former 1.6-litre unit, while the Master features an upgraded 2.3-litre turbo-diesel engine. Both models have received attention in their cabins with the Master picking up a new dashboard design, and the Trafic new materials and new multimedia screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Both models have also received light styling changes with new bumpers, revised headlights with LED lighting, and new wheel designs. Safety kit has been upgraded with AEB now an option on the Trafic, and features like blind-spot monitoring will be available on the Master. Renault has also launched the Master ZE (zero emissions), which uses the 33kWh battery pack and 57kW electric motor from the Zoe EV. Aimed at city van drivers, it has an electronically-limited top speed of 100km/h and a real world range of 120km. It can be recharged in around six hours. Renault Australia has confirmed the Master and Trafic will be launched locally in the fourth quarter of 2019, with local pricing and specifications to be confirmed before then. 

Renault Australia has extended the warranty on its light-commercial vehicle (LCV) range, making it better than all of its van rivals, except Ford.The new warranty is three years or unlimited kilometres, increasing the distance from the previous three-year/200,000km cover.It now exceeds the offerings from Mercedes-Benz Vans and Fiat Professional that both have three-year/200,000km warranties on their respective Vito and Sprinter, and Doblo and Ducato products. Citroen has a three-year/100,000km cover on its Berlingo.But none of them can beat Ford’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on its Transit, Transit Custom and Ranger vehicles.Renault has applied the warranty from November 1 this year on its Trafic, Kangoo and Master models. The boost in cover, which Renault said was in response to customer feedback, is aimed at lifting the LCV range’s sales and resale value.Renault Australia managing director Andrew Moore said the company’s van range was now well positioned to respond to the needs of LCV buyers and that business customers covering long distances no longer had to worry about this impacting on their warranty.Sales of Renault Australia’s LCVs in the first 10 months of the year have slipped slightly compared with the 2017 data.The Renault Kangoo has 710 sales for the 10 months, down 3.3 per cent on the same period in 2017, while the Trafic sold 1657 units (down 2.1 per cent) and the Master found 1306 buyers, down 3.5 per cent on 2017.

Citroen Automobiles Australia has confirmed its light-commercial vehicle range will expand mid-year with the anticipated arrival of the next-generation Dispatch mid-size van.

Renault Australia has revealed that their Alaskan ute – which will likely get a local release sometime next year – will be positioned as a semi-premium product.

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

Three extra seats have invaded the Renault Trafic load area but the Crew cargo area still measures four cubic meters.

Renault reckons its van will run long and hard - drivers may be unimpressed by the lack of an auto.

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.