Caterham to bring new SUV and city car to market in 2016

Two new models to be co-developed with Renault, destined for Asian market

The new cars will be developed using Renault platforms

by Darren Moss

8 July 2013 10:10am

Caterham will bring a crossover SUV and subcompact car to the market as early as 2016.

The British sports car maker will co-develop the cars with Renault, in exactly the same manner as its current joint-venture project. The new models will be destined for the Asian market in a bid to re-brand Caterham as a global car maker.

The cars would most likely be part-built at the joint-owned factory in Dieppe, before being shipped to Asia for final assembly.

Reports from Reuters suggest Caterham is keen to emulate the success of the Range Rover Evoque, which has gained significant profits for JLR and parent company Tata Motors.

Speaking to Reuters, Caterham owner Tony Fernandes said the new models would be based on existing Renault platforms: "Sports cars will do well, but the city car and the SUV are what the (Asian) market really wants. If we get the SUV right it will be huge."

Caterham's joint venture car with Renault Alpine is due to cost around £35k when it goes on sale next year. Aimed at the Malaysian market, the car will be limited to 3000 units per year. Engineers on the project are expected to use a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine to power the car.

Meanwhile Alpine has already announced that its own car from the joint venture will cost £50k when it goes on sale in 2016.

While up to 70 per cent of parts will be shared between the two cars on this project, there have so far been no indications from Renault that the same would be true of any other designs. Speaking to Reuters, Renault would only confirm that Caterham would be using its platforms. There has also been no word on whether said platforms would include Renault's new Common Module Family architecture.

Saranno realizzati in collaborazione con Renault e prodotti a Dieppe, per poi essere finiti di assemblare in Asia. A quanto pare non saranno vendute in Europa.

Inoltre hanno comunicato che il price-point della sportiva a MC che stanno sviluppando si aggirerà intorno alle 35K £, sarà prodotta in circa 3000 unità annuali ed è pensata per il mercato malese.

Sono basito.

Modificato 8 Luglio 201312 anni fa da superkappa125

"È l'evoluzione baby!" [Cit.]

e questa come si interpreta?

Cancellato.

Modificato 8 Luglio 201312 anni fa da EC2277

Sad Trombone