Renault is late to the party in China, and has just opened its first factory in the country, a joint venture with Dongfeng.
To cash in on the boom in small SUV sales in China, the factory’s product will be the Renault Kadjar, a close relative of the Nissan Qashqai. Production of the Kadjar begins in March 2016, while a larger D-segment SUV (the Koleos replacement) will be built there from later this year.
The Dongfeng Renault plant is in the city of Wuhan and cost €870 million to build. Capacity is rated at 150,000 cars per year. The factory also houses an R&D center and a powertrain plant.