Renault Fluence
The Renault Fluence is sold in Europe as a standalone model, but can be seen as the four-door sedan version of the Megane. It is a rebadged Samsung SM3, built in Turkey. The Fluence is not sold in all European countries, as four-door compact cars are mainly popular in Southern countries, whereas in the North of Europe, car buyers prefer three- or five-door hatchbacks or station wagons.
A full-electric zero emission version of the Renault Fluence is sold in Europe as well, but in contrast with Renault’s other EVs the Zoe subcompact, Twizy quadricycle and Kangoo Cargo Van, the Fluence Z.E. hasn’t been very successful. The limited trunk space due to the placement of the battery pack and the lack of a quick-charging possibility haven’t helped the model, nor has the demise of the project Better Place, which piloted battery changing stations. At these stations, drivers of a Renault Fluence would be able to have their almost empty battery replaced by a fully charged one in a matter of a few minutes, thus overcoming the lack of a quick-charger for the Fluence. Better Place had The European pilots ran in Denmark and The Netherlands, the latter with taxis at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Unfortunately the pilot project was cut short when the parent company filed bankruptcy and . Ironically, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has now employed a fleet of 167 Tesla Model S full electric sedans as the official airport taxis.
Renault Fluence Europe Sales Data & Charts
Europe Annual Sales
| Year | Sales Units |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 1,584 |
| 2010 | 15,623 |
| 2011 | 13,755 |
| 2012 | 10,526 |
| 2013 | 6,681 |
| 2014 | 5,465 |
| 2015 | 5,081 |
| 2016 | 3,862 |
| 2017 | 202 |
| 2018 | 1 |
