Daimler and Renault are discussing a deal to develop and produce the next generation Smart and Twingo, according to a report in Thursday’s Financial Times Deutschland.
The newspaper speculates that an official announcement on the deal is expected in the second quarter of this year with the cars slated for production in 2013.
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The report suggests that both companies want to add four-door versions to their existing two-door line-up and these will be built at Renault’s Novo Mesto, Slovenia, plant for both brands while two-door Twingos and Smarts could be built at the Smart factory in Hambach, eastern France.
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetche said in December that he hoped to reach agreement in the first half of this year with a competitor to reduce the cost of producing small cars.
