Renault is finally on the verge of making cars in China after a decade-long effort to link up with a local partner.
The French carmaker's China chief said the breakthrough wouldn't have been possible without a corporate shake-up which boosted the company's sales on the mainland by nearly 30 times in the three years to 2011.
Renault, which exported just 894 cars to the mainland in 2008, saw sales jump to 24,275 last year, following a revamping of its management team, sales network, model range and after-sales service.
In an interview, Renault China's managing director, Robert Chan, said it expected to sell 38,000 cars this year, 55 per cent more than last year.
'You need to perform well before anyone will consider co-operating with you,' he said.
While Chan declined to elaborate, it is understood the company's chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, will unveil a partnership arrangement with the Dongfeng Motor Group at the Beijing auto show on April 23. The partnership would allow Renault to make cars in China again.
In 1993 Renault established its first carmaking joint venture in China with military group China Sanjiang Space Industry Group. However, in eight years the venture only managed to sell 4,000 cars and was practically defunct by 2000.