Posted on 06/27/2005 12:38:14 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Cars prices have accelerated steadily for the last decade, thanks to an increasing reliance on technology and ever-more luxurious interiors. Even a compact car can easily cost more than $20,000. Shifting into reverse, French auto maker Renault decided in 1998 to design a modern car with state-of-the-art safety features costing only 5,000 euros [$6,000]. Renault's strategy was to create a car for people in emerging markets who have never owned an automobile -- some 80% of the world's population.
But when the $6,000 Logan was unveiled last fall, it wowed West Europeans, too. This June, the much-in-demand Logan, which sells only in Eastern Europe and Russia, is finally arriving in showrooms in France, Germany, and Spain. Renault designer Kenneth Melville, a Scottish national who joined Renault from Mercedes-Benz (DCX), spoke with BusinessWeek Senior European Correspondent Gail Edmondson about the secret of making a quality car at a low price. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow:
Q: Is it true that the original design brief you were given for the Logan was a car that could hold, "four adults, a pig, a sink, and 100 kilos of potatoes"?
A: [Laughs] Our product-planning team did research on-site in Romania. And it's true that Romanians use their cars for everything, including the transport of pigs. Until now, they have had small, poorly designed cars -- there was a real need for a car that could transport a lot of goods. The product-planning brief was a value-for-money car with a lot of space. And it had to have the stately look of a sedan.
Q: How did you go about designing a car for 5,000 euros [$6,000]?
(Excerpt) Read more at news.moneycentral.msn.com ...
A $6000 Renault? What's it made of, 24k gold?
Another French "piéce de shiznit..."
What? They're recycling Dauphines?
Le Trabant.
There is no reason a competent car company could not do this. It will be interesting to see if Renault can.
But can Logans Run?.........
Only before they get to 30,000 miles.
Looks like a nice enough car. For $6000 I would definitely give it a close look if it came to these shores.
I'm just a damn slow typist.
You type stolen url's?
Run? Let us hope they roll.
Agreed, its a decent looking car, at least as good looking as the low end Hyundai, Daewoo, Scion, and others. I'd consider one. Last thing they want, though, is to become another Yugo..
".....and they drove with pride."
another Le Car? They were a big hit in the U.s. for a few months.
It doesn't look much different than about 80% of the cars on the U.S. Market. I would bet the EPA-compliant cost would be closer to $10,000.
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