Renault plans to launch 12 new models next year – including several low-cost cars – in an aggressive global strategy to turn around stagnating sales, chief Carlos Ghosn said in Brazil.
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According to Agence France Press (AFP), company Ghosn told a media conference in Brazil that Renault was also looking at making a new budget car in India costing just $US3,000 dollars to compete against local manufacturer Bajaj.
“The big question is what will have to be done to bring this car up to export quality. It will have to be modified, sure – and what will be the cost of these modifications so it’s viable?” Ghosn was quoted as saying in Sao Paulo. He added that, “logically, Brazil would be a natural market” for such a car.
Ghosn was in Brazil to unveil the new Logan-based Sandero hatchback to Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The vehicle is built there for the national market and for export to neighbouring South American countries.
Brazil – where Renault sales are up 43% this year – “is one of the strategic markets (for Renault) for the future, along with Russia, China and India,” Ghosn told AFP.
He also said he saw a world in which cars would not rely almost exclusively on petroleum for energy. Brazil, for instance, makes widespread use of ethanol.
