Renault builds design centre and test track

French group Renault will invest a further 180 million euros in Romania to develop an integrated centre for designing and testing cars and car subassemblies. “Renault Technocentre Romania (the project name) is not just a design centre, but will also include other activities connected to the design of cars and of car subassemblies and even a test track,” Constantin Stroe, vice-chairman of Dacia, who is in charge with developing the project, told ZF. He said the size of the area needed to put the whole project into practice is a few hundred hectares, with the Renault Technocentre Romania to be located near either Brasov, Craiova, Pitesti or Ploiesti. According to the official, the value of the project could reach 180 million euros at the end of 2008. The investment in the Renault Technocentre Romania project is part of the strategy announced by the chairman of the French group, Carlos Ghosn, to see a strong development of its activities in Romania. Renault had by the end of last year invested 630 million euros in the local manufacturer Dacia, which it bought in 1999. ZF