QUART FROM A PINT

摘要

On the face of it, launching a truck into a market that's declined more than 60% in 20 years seems odd. Bare percentages seldom tell the full tale, but there's no escaping the fact that, while 1996 saw 12,376 7.5-tonners registered in the UK, last year's number was just 4,690. So why would Renault Trucks attack a depleted market already inhabited by strong competitors, with right-hand drive versions of its D Cab 2m chassis? Commercial director Nigel Butler is having none of it. He reckons that prophecies of the demise of 7.5-tonners in the wake of the 1997 driving licence changes were exaggerated. While accepting that volumes have dropped off, especially since 2007, he insists there is still a demand for 7.5-tonners, and adds that it's likely to continue - certainly as long as urban HGV weight-limits stick at 7.5 tonnes.