Reports on Wednesday that Renault would invest EUR500m in a design and development centre in southern Romania are not correct, a spokesman for the automaker said today (2 November).
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Following a government hosted press conference, a news agency said Renault would spend EUR450m ($US574m) between 2007 and 2015 on the facility.
But Renault spokesman Andrew Boyle told just-auto from Paris that Renault’s investment would be EUR100m if the proposed centre went ahead. It was up to the Romanian government to confirm further investment amounts.
“It’s still just a project,” he said. “We’re looking at the possibility of doing it. If it proceeds, it will be a full R&D centre.”
Wednesday’s report said notoriously bureaucratic Romania plans to set up a network of government officials to help Renault find its way through a web of red tape.
“The government decided to create a work group to collaborate with Renault to ensure it receives support from local and central authorities for a large-scale project,” government spokeswoman Oana Marinescu reportedly told a news briefing, adding that the centre would employ 3,000 people.
Renault’s Boyle said he could not provide a date for when Renault was likely to give the centre the go-ahead nor supply an estimated completion date.
