Renault may get a luxury brand like Nissan's Infiniti, COO Tavares says
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Renault may launch its upscale Initiale Paris subbrand in two phases, Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares said.
The first phase would see the French automaker adding premium content to its volume models and tweaking their design to sell them under the new subbrand. French rival Citroen does something similar with its upscale DS range.
In the second phase, Renault would develop specific Initiale Paris models to make it a stand-alone brand, just as alliance partner Nissan did with its Infiniti luxury marque.
"We plan to start with something that will be similar to Citroen's DS series that will eventually become something like Infiniti at Nissan," Tavares told Automotive News Europe in an interview.
Tavares said Infiniti started in 1989 in the United States with rebadged cars from Nissan and by offering outstanding service in the dealers. "Nissan needed 25 years to take Infiniti where it is today. Initiale Paris is not something that could be completed in the next two years," he said.
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You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@crain.com.
