Just been reading Autocar magazine dated 28th Sept and the interesting article on the Renault Logan. It made mw wonder how they can produce this car for so little - about £3500 although closer to £5000 apparently for Western European markets.
The write-up is positive about the car, this is not something lashed up from dated technology but utilises some of Renault's current engineering such as engines and chassis.
Admittedly the styling is a bit restrained compared to other Renaults but how do they do it for so little money? I would have thought the cost of the raw materials would be close to the selling price!
Maybe we really are entering the age of the disposable car. Assuming it comes with a 3 year warranty (and most cars do), it's difficult to see how one could lose out on this.
|
Have a look at the article in the Sunday Times today, it covers some of your questions.
pmh (was peter)
|
Quite a few South Korean cars are landed in the UK for less than £3,000. Euro import tax, VAT, marketing and distribution costs and profit are what puts the price up.
HJ
|
|
You just know that if Renault were to officially import this car into the UK (and badge it as a Renault) it would cost nothing like the bargain price they charge for it in the USSR, Iran etc
|
At between £3500 and £5000, I was interested as a cheap but new car for one of my nephews so I went and looked up some write ups; autoexpress says "If your new car buying decision hinges on price and space, the Logan's expected entry-level cost of £6,000 will be difficult to resist".
Ther is a lot of competition if the circa £6K market so the Reanault is off the list again!
|
|
|
|
The picture in the Sunday Times seems to show it with alloy wheels. Strange priority on a low-budget car, or are the artists now incapable of drawing a car w/o alloy wheels?
Otherwise, it seems like a good idea. All it needs is a simple and reliable diesel engine, like the Peugeot/Citroen XUD
|
|
Problem with the venerable XUD is it isn't Euro4 compliant. The HDi would be but can't see Renault fitting an HDi when they've got their own DCi range.
|
If the motoring press are to be believed, VW and Peugeot are planning new small hatchbacks that will be sold at very low prices. The VW is a 5 door replacement for the Lupo that will be imported from Brazil and the Peugeot, likely to be called the 107 (not to be confused with the forthcoming sliding-door micro-MPV, the 1007), is a similar sort of thing.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
|
I'm trying to work out why the logan has been getting so much press, because there is nothing new about it. The ?5000 price doesn't include ABS, Airbags or any notable feature (including power steering) so it would be about £5000 - £6000 if they sold it here because they wouldn't sell it with no spec in the UK.
Until a few months ago a KIA dealer could sell you a base spec new Rio for £5000 discounted (only elelectric bit being power steering). They didn't sell many base specs so they removed these versions from sales. In parts of Africa the Daihatsu Charade costs £3000 but we pay £6000 for it here.
There's nothing new in cheap cars just the way the press reports them.
|
if it under cuts the kia rio - but offers superior quality and is more rugged - i will definately buy one.
just hope it has some basics like cd player and central locking.
|
just hope it has some basics like cd player and central locking.
And there's the rub. daveyK wants CD & locking. Someone else wants PAS. Some will want aircon. No doubt most of Manchester will want an alarm.
Do you cater for all of them? In which case it becomes a rather expensive car.
Or do you accept low volumes? In which case it is badged a failure and hurts the brand generally.
Or do you have an options list as long as your arm? Which reminds people of phrases like "poverty spec".
We want cheap cars but, as a nation, we like them with toys. We can't have both.
|
|
Out of interest - roughly how much do the raw materials that go into making a supermini-sized car actually cost. £1000 ? More? Less?
|
|
|
We want cheap cars but, as a nation, we like them with toys. We can't have both.
that's partly cos the motoring press tells folks that they won't be able to sell their car s/h unless it has shiny wheels and lots of other toys.
A car like this could sell very well, though, if it was marketed with the absence of gadgetry as a feature.
I recall a brilliant series of 2CV ads in the 80s, which shifted lots of them in Ireland. Compared a 2CV to an Audi:
* Central locking: yes, the 2CV has it. You can reach all 4 door buttons from the drivers seat
* Air-conditioning: not on the Audi, but on the 2CV you can open the roof
etc
|
hat's partly cos the motoring press tells folks that they won't be able to sell their car s/h unless it has shiny wheels and lots of other toys.
So you only buy s/h cars that the motoring press tell you to buy?
Me, I buy the cars that I want (and are within budget). A sheep's life might be contented, but it's rather dull and ends suddenly. Not for me.
|
So you only buy s/h cars that the motoring press tell you to buy?
no, I buy the ones which are sneered at, 'cos they are cheaper. (Mind you, I wish I'd twigged at the time that a Chevette was not labelled as a good s/h buy was because it had a rather short life, not just cos it was uncool)
A sheep's life might be contented, but it's rather dull and ends suddenly. Not for me.
oh dear, looks like we may need to revise those plans to turn your fleece into a wolly bobble hat ...
|
I met a proud Logan owner in Bucharest this week. Apparantly they are selling 50% faster than Dacia can build them. When you consider that the Dacia 1310 (Renualt 12) has only just gone out of production in Romania it gives you a sense of perspective and makes you realise why these things are going to succeed in the developing economies. When the staple vehicle has been based on 1960s technology then even a low spec car based on new technology is a huge advance.
The knock on is that the road systems are even worse than the UK (!!) and traffic congestion is appalling.
|
|
|
|
|
