Several younger Chinese brands are consistently outperforming Renault in the Australian sales charts, but Renault’s local arm claims it is well positioned to compete in an increasingly competitive market.
While Renault promises a range of new or refreshed models over the next six months, starting with the Scenic E-Tech, sales so far in 2026 are below those of the same period in 2025, while sales of cheaper brands – particularly from China – are surging locally.
Speaking to media at the local launch of the Scenic E-Tech, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey said: “Renault as a brand is really in a good position to survive in a market like (Australia).”
When Mr Sealey was asked whether Renault was content to merely survive rather than thrive, he doubled down on his opinion.
Daily Sparkz You can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
“I would say survive. This is an aggressive market; the top 10 always make up 70 percent. That leaves 60 brands competing for about 360,000 cars a year. That’s the reality,” he said.
“If you keep up with that and sell an average of 6,000 cars per brand, can you survive on 6,000 cars a year? We can do that.”
If Renault Australia’s target is 6,000 cars a year, there is still a lot of work to be done to get on track. In 2025, the brand delivered 4,569 cars here, 17.8 percent fewer than in 2024.
It was the brand’s worst result in 14 years, and the new year got off to an unfortunate start: sales in the first two months of 2026 were also 17.8 percent lower than the same period in 2025.
Meanwhile, Renault was outperformed in the sales charts last year by six Chinese brands, all of which offer cheaper vehicles: GWM (52,809), BYD (52,415), MG (41,298), Chery (34,889), LDV (14,108) and Geely (5010) – the latter even missing two months of sales as it was launched in late February.
While Renault’s sales are down, many of these Chinese brands are up. BYD is up 161 percent year to date compared to 2025, Chery is up 99.2 percent and GWM is up 28 percent, while MG and LDV are down slightly.
However, Mr Sealey defended Renault’s higher prices, stressing that there is an inevitable price to pay for European vehicles even as Chinese brands gain market share.
“As a brand we have made this decision. We want to bring – in the case of the Scenic – good premium vehicles with European design, European calibration, European feel, European handling and bring something different to the market,” he said.
“But you know what? In life, you get what you pay for. That’s the unfortunate part.
“Not everything in life is about price… you could say an (Apple) watch is a lot cheaper than a Rolex Daytona, but people still line up to buy the Rolex Daytona.”
Currently, Renault’s cheapest model on sale in Australia is the Duster, which costs from $31,990 before on-road launch. With the exception of LDV, none of the cheapest models of these six Chinese brands exceed $30,000.
LDV, primarily a commercial vehicle brand, competes with Renault in the van market. Its cheapest model is the G10, which costs $42,102, putting it below Renault’s Kangoo, which starts at $44,990 before on-road use.
Crucially, Renault’s electric vehicles (EVs) – particularly the Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech SUVs – are far more expensive than many Chinese alternatives. More budget-friendly Renault electric vehicles like the Renault 4 E-Tech and Renault 5 E-Tech are available abroad, but they are unlikely to be brought here any time soon.
Still, Mr Sealey says there are several factors that position Renault models ahead of many other Chinese brands, stressing that the company is ready to introduce models to meet market demand.
“That emotional design will shine through. Technology, user-friendly technology; the eye is on the road, the muscle memory is there, everything is easy to use, it’s not intimidating, it’s not minimalist and it’s not all on screens. There’s an appeal for that,” Mr Sealey said.
“And finally the powertrain. Not everyone wants electric drive, not everyone wants hybrid drive and not everyone wants (combustion engine) – we have a powertrain for everyone and leave no one behind.”
“If the market (share) goes to 50 percent electric vehicles, guess what? We have a closet full of cars that we can access. If the market stays at 10 percent electric vehicles and just remains a hybrid market, we have powertrains in cars that we can access.”
Renault’s self-confidence has been expressed recently despite the fate of its French brand colleagues Citroen. Citroen announced its withdrawal from the Australian market in August 2024 while sales were extremely low – only 87 deliveries were recorded between January and July 2024 – as its importer Inchcape worked to launch a new Chinese brand, Deepal.
MORE: Renault’s coolest electric vehicles are blocked by Australian safety regulations
MORE: Citroen leaves Australia after more than 100 years, importer focuses on Peugeot
