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ReprintsBertone seeks boost from Chinese SUVs
Luca Ciferri
Automotive News Europe
September 28, 2007 15:43 CET
TURIN – Struggling contract manufacturer Carrozzeria Bertone is in talks to build SUVs and pickups for a Chinese automaker. DR Automobiles Groupe, the Italian importer of vehicles built by China's Zhejiang Gonow Automobile, confirmed the talks with Bertone. The vehicles under discussion are sold under the Katay brand. If approved, Bertone would make 7,000 units annually from complete knockdown kits. The vehicles would be the Katay Victory, a five-door, medium-sized SUV based on a previous-generation Isuzu Rodeo/Opel Frontera, and the Troy a double-cab pickup variant of the Victory. Bertone needs any work it can get. Its contract to make the Opel/Vauxhall Astra cabriolet ended in late 2005. Since then, its only project was a 2,000-unit run of limited-edition Minis in summer 2006. The company has capacity to make 70,000-unit a year and needs to produce 30,000 units a year to breakeven. In the last three years, it lost a combined 37.3 million euros on total sales of 325 million euros. You may e-mail Luca Ciferri at lciferri@craincom.de |
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@craincom.de.
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