Kleuster and Renault Trucks strengthen their partnership with the appointment of a new Managing Director at the head of Kleuster

A new stage has just been reached for the two partners Kleuster and Renault Trucks: the Lyon-based company, which manufactures cargo bikes, has entrusted its general management to Okan Cavusoglu, who comes from the commercial vehicle manufacturer. This appointment will help to develop distribution of the Freegônes cargo bike in the Renault Trucks network, and comes at a strategic time for the two companies, which share the ambition of offering low-carbon urban mobility solutions to professionals.

In November 2022, Renault Trucks and Kleuster announced that they were joining forces on two fronts: industrially, through the assembly of the Freegônes cargo bike at Renault Trucks’ historic plant in Vénissieux, and commercially, with the distribution of the cargo bike through the manufacturer’s network. This partnership has now taken on a new dimension with the appointment of Okan Cavusoglu as head of Kleuster.

A graduate of INSA, Okan Cavusoglu joined Renault Trucks in 2002. He has held various positions in the design office, working on the development of commercial vehicles and their compliance with Euro anti-pollution regulations, as well as on the development of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

He subsequently held a number of management positions in Europe, in the fields of strategy, innovation, product development and quality. After two years’ experience in India developing products for the Asian market, he joined the Renault Trucks France sales branch as part of a new team dedicated to helping the brand’s customers make the transition to low-carbon transport solutions.

Developing synergies and the customer journey

In his new role as Managing Director, Okan Cavusoglu’s main tasks will be to strengthen the synergies between Kleuster and Renault Trucks, to optimise the customer journey, both in sales and after-sales, and also to lead the Renault Trucks network, distributor of the Freegônes cargo bike. To this end, he will work with the sales, marketing and production teams in place at Kleuster and Jean Lain Mobilités.

As part of this appointment, the Jean Lain Mobilités group, which has owned Kleuster since 2020, remains the sole shareholder, and Jean-Michel Lain remains its chairman. Okan Cavusoglu will report to him as soon as he takes office.

On the eve of this change of general management, the teams at Renault Trucks, Jean Lain Mobilités and, more personally, Jean-Michel Lain, would like to extend their warmest thanks to Gérard Têtu, founder and, until now, director of Kleuster, for his commitment over more than a decade to promoting sustainable mobility through his Freegônes cycle-cargo.

New product and international expansion 

Okan Cavusoglu’s appointment comes at a dynamic time for Kleuster and Renault Trucks, whose partnership is now entering a new and promising phase with the launch of several major projects relating to the product range and its marketing on a national and European scale.

With over a decade’s experience behind it, Kleuster, in conjunction with Renault Trucks, is continually working to develop and improve existing products, in terms of both technology and safety, in order to offer professionals an effective solution for urban logistics.

In terms of the distribution network, the two partners have taken their first steps outside France, by starting to market the Kleuster Freegônes in a showroom dedicated to the cargo bike, at the Zero Emission Centre of Bluekens EV, a Renault Trucks distributor in Breda, in the Netherlands.

‘We are delighted with Okan’s appointment, which marks a new turning point in the collaboration between Kleuster and Renault Trucks. It comes at a favourable time for Kleuster and, more generally, for the cargo bike sector. Through this appointment, Kleuster and Renault Trucks intend to strengthen the position of Kleuster and its Freegônes in the French and European cyclo-logistics landscape. Everyone involved in the Kleuster adventure joins me in thanking Gérard Têtu for his unwavering commitment to the visionary company he built over a decade ago,’ says Jean-Michel Lain, Chairman of Kleuster.

‘I am delighted to be taking over as Managing Director of Kleuster at a time of strong growth for the company. With more than a decade’s presence in the cargo bike market, Kleuster and Renault Trucks are now starting from a solid base in terms of product, quality and robustness. We can now begin to accelerate the production and marketing of our products, drawing on the quality of Renault Trucks‘ manufacturing process and its experience in carbon-free logistics, Kleuster’s know-how and the involvement of our distributors’, emphasises Okan Cavusoglu.

About Kleuster

In 2012, Gérard Têtu founded Kleuster, the manufacturer of the Freegônes electrically-assisted cargo bike, with the ambition of offering professionals operating in densely populated urban areas a reliable, durable and cost-effective work tool.

Freegônes, based on a single chassis, houses six modules (parcel, refrigerated, food, flatbed, high-pressure cleaner and waste skip) and is aimed at a wide range of professions. The Kleuster solution has been approved by around a hundred professionals, including Véolia, Métropole Grand Lyon, Transcan, Nicollin, Suez and Livrado.

In 2020, Kleuster joined the Jean Lain Mobilités group, one of the top 20 automotive distribution groups in France, with a presence in the Alpine arc. Jean Lain Mobilités has more than 2,300 employees selling over 30 brands and services.

About Renault Trucks

Renault Trucks, the French truck manufacturer, has been providing road professionals with sustainable mobility solutions since 1894, from light commercial vehicles to road tractors. Committed to the energy transition, Renault Trucks offers vehicles with controlled fuel consumption and a complete range of 100% electric trucks, whose operating life is extended thanks to a circular approach.

Renault Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, coaches, buses, construction equipment and industrial and marine engines. The group also provides complete financing and service solutions.