“The U.S. is in recession. We are very cautious,” he said, but also stated, “We are going to continue to do deals with everybody when they make sense,” presumably putting any major alliance plans on hold until the U.S. economy takes a turn for the better.
Ghosn also spoke of Renault-Nissan’s plans for Avtovaz, their new Russian partner, of which they own a 25% stake, according to Detroit Free Press. He also spoke on plans to revise the entire line up, but added that Avtovaz could also produce Nissan or Renault vehicles too. This might prove to be a big boost for Avtovaz’s leading brand, Lada, which is in need of new platforms, equipment and drivetrains. “Russian car sales may surpass Germany to become Europe's largest single market this year,” he said.
Renault, meanwhile, is working on moving slightly upscale with the help of Korean partner Samsung. Also in the pipeline is a luxury crossover for 2010.
Reader Comments
Thu Mar 6 2008 11:46 PM
NaBUru38 says
OE stands for "original equipment", I guess.
I love the "I don’t want you to think" part. That's a typical PR answer: I want you to think we're not doing what we're doing.
Wouldn't Dacia and Lada eat each other's sales? The stake buying strategy still sounds strange to me.
Tue Dec 2 2008 2:43 AM
tache says
Lada is seen as one of the most unreliable cars in EU while in Russia it is protected by high tax paid for vehicles made outside Russia.
Dacia has a strong market in Romania and being made in EU has free access to the rest of EU
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