Renault has begun work on a luxury car based on Mercedes platform, according to company bosses. The project is reportedly at an early stage and the viability of such a vehicle is still being studied, according to news reports quoting company COO Carlos Tavares.
Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was also quoted as saying that ‘at least one’ Mercedes-based luxury car would ‘help’ the company.
Renault is already in an alliance with Daimler, Mercedes’ parent company, with plans to build the next-generation Smart ForFour on the same platform as the next-generation Twingo. There are also plans to build an entry-level Infiniti on the new Mercedes B-Class platform.
Last year French government officials told Renault that it had to accelerate plans to stay in the large car sector after the company had failed to make clear its plans to replace the ageing Laguna and Espace models. The government owns 15 percent of the carmaker.
The Mercedes-based car would be ‘third’ model in the large car range, after the Espace replacement and, presumably, the Laguna replacement, both of which are likely to remain front-wheel drive.
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Re: Renault 'builds Merc-based vehicle'
Re: Renault 'builds Merc-based vehicle'
Renault Benz. Fast version: Alpine Benz.
Re: Renault 'builds Merc-based vehicle'
Exactly, I would imagine this is the sole reason for this directive.