Renault - automotive industry company news

RUSSIA: "Enormous" push on automotive despite growth brake: Consulting4Drive

15 May 2013

Russia is unlikely to witness its previous exponential growth rate of 20% in the short-term, but it will nonetheless post substantially improved performance compared to Europe, says one automotive consultant.

US: GM to sell Nissan NV200 van as a Chevrolet

14 May 2013

Echoing a similar model-sharing deal with the Renault-Nissan alliance in Europe, General Motors is to rebadge Nissan's NV200 van to sell in the US and Canada as the Chevrolet City Express.

RUSSIA: Flattening market subject to familar Western cycles: Renault-Nissan-Dacia

13 May 2013

Renault-Nissan is forecasting the market for Russia this year to be "relatively flat" as the hitherto booming automotive sector starts to plateau in relative terms.

UK: Sovereign debt crises to affect Europe to 2017: LMC Automotive

10 May 2013

Ongoing sovereign debt crises across Europe are continuing to have a major impact on the Continent's automaking development, with 2007 production levels not expected to return until 2017, says analysts, LMC Automotive.

PRODUCT EYE: Suzuki Grand Vitara

10 May 2013

Thought all the medium-sized frame-platform SUVs had been replaced by front-wheel drive ones? Glenn Brooks reacquaints himself with the latest Suzuki Grand Vitara, a proper old-school 4x4.

BARCELONA SHOW: Global debuts [Final list]

10 May 2013

The media day for the Barcelona motor show was 9 May. Our preview list is now republished as an historic record of the vehicles which were global debuts.

COMMENT: Can we stop talking about EV start-ups, please?

9 May 2013

Far too many analysts and writers have spent time covering electric cars by focusing overly on start-up automakers that formed to grab a piece of the emerging market for plug-in cars.

GERMANY: New car sales climb 3.8%, 11% in Spain

7 May 2013

Sales of new cars in Germany, Europe’s biggest market, grew 3.8% to 284,400 vehicles last month compared with 273,900 in April 2012. It was the first increase for six months and the biggest since December 2011 according to industry data.

THE WEEK THAT WAS: Once more to the toy shop, brothers!

3 May 2013

Those three of you who peruse every bit of just-auto's home page every day will probably already know The Editorial Team had our annual Fun Day Out this week, courtesy of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Test Day. I've been going, on and off, sice 1987 and the agenda follows a refreshingly familar, welll-proven and immensely popular programme which I believe is unique to the UK auto industry. After earlier using other venues, the SMMT nowadays books Millbrook, the former Vauxhall Proving Ground (founded 1968), almost every importer/manufacturer shows up with the allocated six cars, caterers lay out a fine breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea - and we show up and go nuts.

COMMENT: Europe's capacity adjustment creaks along, but is it enough?

2 May 2013

As the middle of the year gets closer, the the European automotive marketplace isn't getting any easier. By last year, Western Europe's car market had lost 3m units since its 2007 peak (a heady 14.8m units). This year is likely to see the market decline by a further 5% or so to not much more than 11m units.

FRANCE: Economic Redevelopment Minister hails Nissan Micra build at Flins

1 May 2013

French Economic Redevelopment Minister, Arnaud Montebourg, has welcomed plans by Nissan to build the Micra at Renault's Flins plant near Yvelines, with an objective of producing 82,000 vehicles per year from 2016.

GOLDING'S TAKE: Marchionne calm, but cutting and mending ahead

30 April 2013

Sergio Marchionne, the man still in the process of saving Fiat, is a man now with a plan. “Europe is less key to us. We are shifting to markets that are much more rewarding.

JAPAN: Renault-Nissan Alliance eyes cost reduction on parts sharing

29 April 2013

Nissan Motor and Renault plan to utilise common parts in the production of new versions of the Nissan March (Micra) and Renault Clio to cut costs by around 30%.

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The numbers are in

26 April 2013

Results season - Q1 2013, Q4/fiscal year 2012/3, etc. We disappear under a mountain of figures and you get it all neatly sliced, diced and packaged here. Enjoy.

FRANCE: Renault to build next generation Nissan Micra

26 April 2013

Nissan will again build the Micra (March) in Europe but the next generation car will be made at the Renault Flins plant, near Paris, France, from 2016 at an estimated annual volume of 82,000 vehicles.

FRANCE: Renault Q1 sales and revenue hit by Europe weakness

25 April 2013

Renault has said that vehicle sales and revenues fell in the first quarter as conditions in Europe were tougher than expected. However, it also said that it continued to expand in markets outside of Europe.

COLOMBIA: Sales fell 23% YTD in Q1 but recovery is expected

24 April 2013

The government announcement about reducing credit interest rates came as Colombian new car sales fell 23% YTD though month on month sales in March rose 2.9% to 22,888 units, the best month in 2013 so far.

SHANGHAI: Global debuts list [Final version with additional cars & updated descriptions]

22 April 2013

Details of concepts and new models which made their global debuts on Saturday 20 April at Auto Shanghai's media preview day.

COMMENT: Russia comes in from the cold

19 April 2013

All this week's pomp and circumstance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's funeral has rekindled myriad memories of what it was like growing up in the 1980s in the UK - and just how much the political landscape has changed.

PRODUCT EYE: Peugeot eyes new niche with 'luxury' 208 variant

18 April 2013

The UK launch of Peugeot's 208 'hot hatch' sports variant – the 208 GTi - was accompanied, understandably, by some looking back at the brand's widely respected history in that area of the market.

INDIA: Nissan plans to introduce 10 new models in India by 2016

18 April 2013

Nissan plans to roll out 10 new models in India by 2016, which will include new products, facelifts and new variants.

RUSSIA: AvtoVAZ aims for 1m vehicle production by 2017

17 April 2013

AvtoVAZ says it is aiming for annual production of 1m cars by 2017, although it adds it is likely to need a new series of models to do so.

PRODUCT EYE: Dacia Sandero

16 April 2013

Just how good can a sub-GBP 6,000 car be? A lot better than you would expect, Glenn Brooks finds, as he tries out the Dacia Sandero.

FRANCE: Second facelift for Renault Laguna

16 April 2013

Renault has announced a second round of styling changes for its X91 Laguna hatchback and wagon range, as well as the D91 coupe. The successor models for these six-year old D-segment cars are still two years away.

PRODUCT EYE: Localised Leaf launches

12 April 2013

Nissan Europe suits liken the Leaf EV update - now 'localised' for and built in Europe - as a bit like an iPhone or iPad upgrade: looks much the same on the outside but new goodies lurk therein. And there was a big pricing surprise to announce as well.

FRANCE: Nissan to move van production to Sandouville

12 April 2013

Nissan is planning move production of the next generation Primastar commercial van from Spain to Renault's Sandouville plant in France, a move that will help alliance partner Renault keep a pledge to raise domestic output in return for union concessions.

BRAZIL: Peugeot 208 narrows the new product wait gap

2 April 2013

Now Brazil is the world’s fourth largest auto market, it is no longer made to wait sometimes years for new models launched first in other markets. Case in point: the Peugeot 208 due to hit the showrooms on 13 April, just 11 months after going on sale in Europe.

INTERVIEW: Keno Kato, Corporate VP of Product Planning for Nissan & Infiniti

2 April 2013

Keno Kato is corporate vice president of Global Product Strategy and Product Planning for Nissan and Infiniti. Glenn Brooks recently met him and took the opportunity to ask a variety of questions concerning future model plans.