Renault, France’s second-largest car maker, may return to the US market with a new model developed specially for that market after 2010, chief executive officer Louis Schweitzer said, according to a Detroit News wire report.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The company, which owns 44.4% of Nissan, may use its Japanese partner’s production facilities in the market to make Renault cars, Schweitzer said on Thursday in an interview at the Tokyo Motor Show, according to the report.
The Detroit News said Renault ended its US operation in the late 1980s because of weak sales and a reputation among US consumers for making poor quality vehicles while Nissan executives have previously said the Boulogne-Billancourt, France-based car maker was unlikely to return to the US market.
“There is a possibility for Renault to return to the US and we will probably be able to release a special model that will change Renault’s image and will be appreciated by the mass market,” Schweitzer reportedly said, adding: “By 2010 we will have platforms, gearboxes and engines co-developed with Nissan, so we will be able to lower our costs if we use Nissan’s US plant.”
