Caterham & Renault to Build Road Cars

[cosworth151]

Caterham and Renault are now joining forces to built sports cars for the road. They will start with two lightweight two-seat sports cars, likely to be on sale in 2015 or 2016. The operation will be based at the old Alpine factory.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20121105/carnews/121109912#ixzz2BZT8z8XV

[John S]

I read about this on a couple of other websites, Caterham will take a 50% share in the French Alpine factory operation but I'm not sure that includes putting the present Caterham company and production into that same new French business.

They haven't explained whether any new Caterham badged product will be produced at the Dieppe plant or in the UK either.   The only thing that is clear is that Alpine badged cars will be built in France and Renault thinks it's found a way to keep production going at a presently uneconomic site. Could be good for Caterham and Tony Fernandes; but not at the expense of the British built (old Lotus 7) sports car and present Caterham factory workers I hope.  


  

[cosworth151]

From what I've read, they will build a closed version as a Renault and an open version badged Caterham. I haven't seen anything about their existing operation.

[F1fanaticBD]

They have promised to themselves that they will make life miserable for us, was Lotus/Caterham confusion was not enough that you have to mingle an Alpine with you. Now we have three marques, rather famous being crazily mingled with each other