Renault and Nissan could use the new compact car platform that will underpin the upcoming Infiniti Q30 for non-premium cars as well. Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche are considering extending the platform’s use in order to make the most of their alliance.
“When we make a platform, we don’t dedicate it to one brand. Platforms belong to companies,” Ghosn told Autonews Europe last week at the Frankfurt auto show. He added that a platform conceived for luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Infinit may prove cost effective for volume brands like Renault and Nissan. “The cost effectiveness doesn’t depend so much on the platform, but on the specifications of the cars that share a platform”, Ghosn said.
Currently, the MFA architecture is used by the A-Class, B-Class, CLA and the GLA. Nissan will also use it for the Infiniti Q30, the brand’s upcoming entry-level model. Previewed by the eponymous study at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Q30 will be produced from May 2015 at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, England.
Another joint project involves Smart and Renault’s use of a common rear-wheel-drive architecture for a Smart four-seater and the new-generation Twingo. The new Smart will be built alongside the Twingo at Renault’s factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
Ghosn refused to confirm whether Daimler and Nissan might build compact models together at a new plant Nissan owns in Mexico. According to recent reports, the Mercedes GLA and Infiniti Q30 could be built there from autumn 2014.
By Dan Mihalascu
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