Renault-Sofasa announced that it would begin production of the Kwid at its Envigado plant, where models such as the Sandero, Stepway, Logan and the classic Duster are also produced.
The French company will invest more than $100 million in this production line and is estimated to export to Mexico, Ecuador and 13 other countries in Latin America.
“This guarantees the future of Renualt-Sofasa as an iconic company in this Colombian scenario, with a strong presence in exports to the northern part of Latin America,” emphasized Luiz Fernando Pedrucci, President of Renault for Latin America.
On the other hand, Ariel Montenegro, President and General Director of Renault-Sofasa, explained that more than 50% of Kwid production is destined for export. This will strengthen the area’s economy and create more jobs throughout the production chain, affecting all players that are part of the automotive industry.
“We are proud of this vote of confidence for the Renault Sofasa team and the entire Colombian automotive industry. We will work to ensure that this car, assembled with Colombian talent, reaches more customers and markets in Latin America,” added Montenegro, the president in charge of the plant.
In addition, he said that 100 employees are already involved in this project and that “they see themselves very much” in starting to unify the processes of welders, colors and shapes, with the aim of implementing this global platform with all possible technologies . like others already found in areas such as Brazil and Argentina.
The directors of the organization explained that to carry out this investment in Colombia First they had to carry out a market study and determine the quantity and sales volume of the territories in order to determine the “strategic” location in the Latin American region and add the production line, in this case the one in Envigado.
In addition, the directors of the European company added that with this new production line, the national territory enters the “equality” of America, since they will boost exports from this part of the continent, making Colombia an “engine” of the region and for the organization on a global level.
Montenegro, president and general director of Renault-Sofasa, stressed that the penetration in Colombia is comparable to that of the organization in its country of origin, France.
This plant, where the Sandero, Duster, Logan and Stepway models are assembled for national consumption, tThe maximum production capacity is 80,000 units in three shifts, depending on the market and current situation in Colombia.
In addition, Montenegro stated that one in five cars registered in Colombia belongs to the brand. For these reasons, Colombia accounts for 15% of the automotive company’s sales in the Latin American region, followed by Mexico and Brazil due to their population.
It should be noted that, according to the company, Renault Sofasa production accounted for 70% of national automobile assembly in 2022. The organization hopes to end this year with a number of 200,000 assembly units in the national territory.
