Nissan has announced it will allocate a part of the production of the new Nissan Rogue to the Busan plant in South Korea. Colin Dodge, head of Nissan’s operations in North America, and François Provost, CEO of Renault Samsung Motors, signed a memorandum of understanding sealing the deal.
Manufacturing of the all-new Nissan Rogue will begin in the United States in October 2013, while production at the Busan plant will start in the second half of 2014. The annual output of the Korean plant’s Rogue line will be 80,000 units, most of which will be shipped to the North American market, where Nissan will continue to sell the Japan-made previous-generation Rogue, renamed Rogue Select.
The decision to give South Korea a part of the Rogue production is one of the results of the Renault Samsung Motors revival plan launched in January 2012. The company also launched the new SM5 last year, and the QM3 and SM3 Z.E. this year.
“This project is an outstanding example illustrating the strong ‘win-win’ synergies of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. In the future, we will continue expanding such cooperative operations,” Colin Dodge said at the press conference.
“This project will also allow RSM to contribute to Renault’s growth in Asia and serve as a hub for the Group’s regional development,” added Gilles Normand, Renault Senior Vice President and Chairman of Asia-Pacific Management Committee.
By Dan Mihalascu
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