Renault Australia says it’s not going anywhere despite declining sales figures, with a series of important models on the way that are hoped to perk annual deliveries back to 6000 vehicles.
Renault says it can "survive" in Australia selling as many cars each year as Hyundai did last month, after reporting its lowest annual deliveries in nearly 15 years.
The French car brand was Australia's 30th best-selling new-car brand last year, reporting 4569 new vehicles as sold – down from 5556 a year prior, and a high of 11,525 in 2015.
Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey told local media at the launch of its latest electric car, the Scenic E-Tech SUV, that the brand can "survive" on sales of 6000 a year.
“Renault as a brand is really in a good position to survive in a market like this,” he said.
Asked if the brand can do better than simply survive, Sealey said: “I would say survive. I say that because [Australia] is an aggressive market.
“The Top 10 always make up 70 per cent of the market. What was 30 brands a couple of years ago is now around 60, all competing for 360,000 cars [when the Top 10 selling brands are excluded] a year.”
“Can you survive on 6000 cars a year? We can.”
Growing deliveries to 6000 cars a year would, based on current numbers, nudge the brand from 30th to 25th on the charts – and is on par with the number of cars BYD (5323) and Hyundai (6266) sold last month alone.
Renault sales have been in slow decline in recent years, from 8855 in 2022 to 8024 in 2023, 5015 in 2024, and 4569 in 2025 – down 48 per cent in three years, and its lowest result since 2011.
It is a greater sharper drop from the average of 10,695 cars it reported as sold annually from 2014 to 2018, including its record year of 11,525 sales in 2015.
Sealey attributed the 2025 figure to the age of the Renault models currently on sale in Australia.
“Koleos and Master make up 60 to 70 per cent of our volume, and they are right at the end of their life cycle. To expect that you're going to be flying when you've got that on your hands, it's never going to happen.”
Australian updates for these models have not been announced, but are likely to join the fray of updates reaching the market, with Renault confirming six new or refreshed models within the next 18 months, including the latest Scenic E-Tech electric SUV.
A new Master – currently the brand's top seller – is expected in local showrooms this year, while Renault sells large, Koleos-sized family SUVs in South Korea that are under consideration for right-hand drive.
“The rejuvenation's coming through, we're talking two cars in terms of Duster and Scenic, and there's more coming. You'll see rejuvenation of the existing range coming through,” he said.
“Not everyone wants an EV. Not everyone wants a hybrid, and not everyone wants ICE [petrol and diesel]. We've got something that means there's a drivetrain for everyone, and we won't leave anyone behind.”
Sealey said Renault can co-exist in Australia with the growing number of Chinese brands competing for buyers' attention.
“There's room for everyone. And I go back to that saying that term 'survival' I used before. Can you make money in the Australian market? Can you live in the Australian market with 6000 cars? We can, and we're okay with that.”
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
