RoundTalk

Renault's new Argentine-made pickup: can it beat the Hilux?

English · B1 worksheet Based on the RoundTalk episode of

Free for classroom use. Students listen to the first 75 seconds and read the beginning of the debate, then work on the tasks. The answer key is on the last page. The panelists are fictional characters with AI voices.

Episode page
1 · Listen (first 75 seconds)

2 · Read

Host

Welcome to RoundTalk. Renault built a new pickup in Argentina. It costs less than a Hilux, but we don't know if it works well. Would you buy it to save money? Marcus, fleet manager; Sofia, car tester; Diego, delivery business owner.

Host

Marcus, you buy trucks for construction crews. Would Renault's price tag tempt you?

Marcus Chen

No. Not for my crews. Look, here's what matters: parts. A Hilux breaks in the mountains, any small town has the part. The Renault is cheaper today, however two weeks waiting for a gearbox costs me more.

Host

Sofia, you test trucks across Latin America. Have you seen if Renault can fix these problems fast?

Sofia Reyes

Hang on. That gearbox story works both ways. Renault has been selling vans here for years, so the network exists. The interesting thing is, I drove the argentine pickup on broken roads, and nothing rattled.

Host

Diego, you change trucks every four years. Does a rattle-free first drive mean anything to your bottom line?

Diego Morales

No way. A first drive means nothing. My old van was quiet the first year. By year three, the doors were making noise and the seats were shaking. Durability shows up after four years, not on day one.

Marcus Chen

No, wait — a van network isn't a pickup network.

Sofia Reyes

Oh, come on. A network is people who fix cars and the parts they keep. The same garage that repairs a Renault van repairs this pickup. The engine, the doors, the wiring — shared.

Host

Diego, Marcus says downtime kills profit. But what about the Renault's price tag — does it give you four years of buffer?

Diego Morales

Listen, I can't afford a truck that sits waiting. But Marcus, your Hilux costs more every single month, not once. That extra money is buying me a spare truck, which is my real protection against downtime.

Key vocabulary

  • pickup — light truck for carrying cargo
  • reliability — dependability; ability to work without breaking
  • argentine — relating to Argentina or its people
  • durability — ability to last a long time without damage

Comprehension questions

  1. Why does Marcus not want to buy the Renault pickup for his construction crews?
  2. What did Sofia discover when she drove the Renault pickup on broken roads?
  3. Why does Diego think a quiet first drive is not important for his business?
  4. How does Sofia respond to Marcus's concern about the Renault service network?
  5. What solution does Diego use to protect his business from truck downtime?

True or false?

  1. Marcus thinks the price of a Renault is not important because finding parts is the real problem. T / F
  2. Sofia says she tested the Renault pickup on broken roads and found that many things rattled inside. T / F
  3. Diego changes his trucks every four years and uses that time to judge if a truck is good or bad. T / F
  4. Renault has been selling pickup trucks in Argentina for many years, so the repair network is already very strong. T / F

Fill the gaps

argentineDurabilitypickup
  1. Renault built a new   in Argentina.
  2. The interesting thing is, I drove the   pickup on broken roads, and nothing rattled.
  3.   shows up after four years, not on day one.

Discuss in pairs

  1. When you buy something expensive like a truck, is the cheapest price always the best choice? What other things should you think about besides money?
  2. Diego says he buys a spare truck to protect himself from problems. Do you think this is a good business plan? What are other ways companies can protect themselves when equipment breaks?
  3. Sofia says a van repair network can fix a pickup because the parts are shared. Do you think companies should make products that use the same parts for this reason? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

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Answer key

Comprehension
  1. Because waiting for parts like a gearbox costs him more money than the cheaper truck price.
  2. Nothing rattled, which means the truck was quiet and did not make noise.
  3. Because real problems with durability appear after four years of use, not on the first day.
  4. She says a pickup network and a van network are the same because it is the same garage and parts that fix both vehicles.
  5. He saves money from the Hilux's high monthly costs to buy a spare truck as protection.
True or false
  1. True
  2. False
  3. True
  4. False
Gaps
  1. pickup
  2. argentine
  3. Durability

roundtalk · https://www.getroundtalk.com/listen/english/b1/renault-s-new-argentine-made-pickup-can-it-beat-the-hilux/worksheet/