Renault JV to Add Latitude, Koleos Assembly in Russia

VIENNA – Avtoframos, the Russian-based joint venture between Renault and the city of Moscow, will add assembly of the Renault Latitude sedan and Koleos cross/utility vehicle, says Bruno Ancelin, Renault senior vice president-Eurasia region.

Ancelin, also head of the auto maker’s operations in Russia, says Latitude and Koleos assembly from semi-knocked-down kits sourced from South Korea’s Renault Samsung will start next year. The investment is valued at E100 million ($134 million).

Koleos CUVs to be built from SKD kits.

The French auto maker will increase the Avtoframos plant’s annual capacity from the current 160,000 units to 175,000 by mid-2012, Ancelin tells Russian media.

Renault currently produces the Logan sedan and Sandero hatchback at Avtoframos’s Moscow facility. It will launch production of the new Duster entry-level CUV in December.

All three models are assembled from SKD kits with high local content.

In addition, the Renault Fluence sedan and Megane hatchback models are built from semi-knocked-down kits sourced from Renault’s Oyak-Renault joint venture in Turkey.

Assembly of the Fluence is expected to be switched from SKD to CKD next year.

In October, Avtoframos built 661 cars in a single day for the first time, reaching its full capacity in three shifts.