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Renault has scrapped plans to revitalise the sporty Alpine brand, chief operating officer Patrick Pelata has told Autocar.

"It's a casualty of the [economic] crisis," said Pelata, hinting that the decision to not bring Alpine back was permanent.

Plans for the rear-wheel-drive sports car were thought to have been well advanced. It was said to have shared a platform with a new Nissan 200SX, which is also believed to have been scrapped.

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Autocar:

Pelata also admitted that the current recession also means that Renault has abandoned plans to move production of the next Clio to Chenai in India.

That's wrong and Autocar should know why. The state money loaned to Renault and PSA just the other week, 3 billion euros or so each, had explicit conditions attached, one of which was that no production be transferred outside France for the duration of the loan. That's the reason the next Clio isn't going to India, not the general slump. Poor reporting.

Well it isn't stopping them investing in their Turkish plant. Pouring money into Lada. Bringing a big saloon into Europe from Korea. Investing in new Dacia models in Romania and being confident that they're going to continue production in Slovenia. Pelata also indicated that this decision over Indian production was taken last October. Then again he could have been lying. I don;t know. But, then, neither do you.

Chas Hallett.:

But, then, neither do you.

No I don't. If I had a way of knowing such things for certain I would be spending my time trading on one-way bets in the City. Taking the French govt. loan money, to be repaid in five years, Renault has promised not to close any French factories or have any more redundancies in 2009 in France:

'...the company has made the commitment to collaborate with the government and employee and management representatives, between now and end-June 2009, in order to examine the conditions for implementing a concerted effort enabling a structural catch-up in competitiveness in order to once again increase the share of France in European vehicle production. In the shorter term, Renault will do everything it can to maintain jobs and skills, at production sites as well as research, engineering and test centers. It will not implement restructuring programs at its automotive plants in France in 2009.'

- excerpt from official press release of Renault on French govt. loan, on Renault webiste

Moving more production of the facelifted Clio III to India, Turkey, Slovenia  and so on would surely have meant major redundancies or possibly the axe for the Flins plant in France, which produces solely the Clio.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usine_Renault_de_Flins

Correct. Why can't Renault make the Clio in more than one plant? It has plans to expand in the BRIC countries. Ford will end up making the new Fiesta on three continents...

Just out of interest, if it is "for the duration of the loan" and the agreement in terms of location for cars (that might do not destined for the EU) was done in October....then surely it is outside the "for the duration of the loan"?? ??

 

That's a pity they have scrapped the new Alpine . Just when some really superb , affordable performance cars are coming out along comes this damnable recession . Personally I hope they ressurect it when times improve .

 After the loss of the Megane RS for the Spain, the manufacturing of the Twingo RS  in the Eastern-Europe and the non-resumption of Alpine, the site of Alpine in Dieppe is threatened. The perspective for this site is only the Clio 3.2 RS. Later? The Alpine's stop may be the announcement of something bad for this historical site.

The crisis makes structural changes and allows the companies to accelerate the relocations. 

For Flins, the risk to loose the Clio (Mk4) is very big. They promised to make the electric vehicle there. But what will be the production?
They are maybe going to keep the sites (Dieppe?) but with few employees...

Long live the Berlinette!

Renault is going the FIAT way, but without some glamorous models. After scrapping Laguna, Espace and Vel Satis, it will be left with Twingo, Clio, Megane, Koleos, Kangoo, Modus and... that's it. Doesn't seem a way to turn good profits if volumes are falling. Seems to me that Ghosn has just completely "mainstreamed" the brand, taking out of it anything that's brave and wacky, flair and boldness are gone.

I had big hopes for this relaunch of Alpine, at least there would be some halo brought back to the brand. My deepest sympathy goes to the Dieppe people... Scrapping it reminds me of FIAT totally ruining Lancia, depriving it of sporty models.