Renault Kangoo Z.E. Celebrates its First Anniversary

PARIS – November 1, 2012: On October 28, 2011, the very first Kangoo Z.E.s went on sale at Renault dealerships. The launch of the zero-emission small van marked the official beginning of Renault’s electric vehicle offensive. It was the first of the four models which now make up the brand’s electric vehicle range, namely Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., Twizy and ZOE.

One year on, Kangoo Z.E.’s career has got off to a flying start, since more than 5,000 vehicles have already been sold across Europe, including almost 3,000 in France where it stands out as the country’s best-selling electric vehicle. Furthermore, within the framework of a tender issued by the French authorities’ central purchasing body UGAP (won by Renault in October 2011), orders for more than 15,000 Kangoo Z.E.s have been placed by 19 major French businesses and administrations. Kangoo Z.E. provides an effective answer to the environmental issues, that the latter are facing today when it comes to choosing vehicles for their fleets. For example, numerous cities, like Milan, in Italy, and Toulouse, France, have introduced drastic restrictions with regard to the presence of non-electric vehicle traffic in their centres.

Sales of the 2012 ‘International Van of the Year’ winner, which is made on the same lines as the internal combustion-engined Kangoos in Maubeuge, France, are consequently making a real contribution to Renault’s status as Europe’s number one manufacturer of electric vehicles (28.2 percent share).

These new vehicle registrations have also compounded Renault’s position as Europe’s leading manufacturer of light commercial vehicles, a rank it has held since 1998 with a market share of 15.7 percent as of end-September, 2012.