Renault is serious about production in South Africa, according to a local motoring website.
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According to wheels24.co.za, Jean Jacques Le Goff, vice-president of Renault Anglo Africa and the Indian Ocean and the company’s regional managing director, said in an interview with a local newspaper that the automaker is still to make a decision this year about a South African production facility.
Renault’s alliance with Nissan, who is well-established in South Africa, appears to be a key element in the decision, the report said.
Renault will upgrade and refurbish an existing plant to meet its needs, the report on wheels24.co.za said. Such an investment could be worth between R500m to R1bn and would create thousands of temporary and permanent jobs.
Wheels24 said Renault wants to build the Logan sedan, already successful in eastern Europe, and soon to be made in India, in South Africa, where it would undercut all existing car prices.
Hatchback and sedan derivatives are planned and a ‘bakkie’ version – a small pickup body style very popular in South Africa – is also likely.
