In his second visit to Romania, Renault's president, Carlos Ghosn, has increased the production target for the Pitesti-based plant to 400,000 units by 2009. "The plant estimated to manufacture 350,000-360,000 units in 2009, but we will try and reach 400,000 cars. This is our current objective, and the maximum capacity the plant can achieve," explained Ghosn. The new, higher production target comes after Ghosn's first visit to Romania two and a half years ago, when Renault's president demanded Dacia turn a profit and optimise exports. "We are seeing an increase, and deriving a profit. We have achieved both these goals, and this will also be our future strategy," said Ghosn. Last year, Dacia posted an over 100 million-euro profit, and this year expects more than half of the production to be exported, according to the company's general manager, Fran'ois Fourmont. "We are surprised by the success of the Logan programme. Unfortunately, in the case of Dacia, the plant cannot meet the demand, which is why we have delayed launches in certain countries, and even delayed some new models," added Ghosn. However, he did not specify which models were affected. Analysts in the car industry point to the hatchback version of the Renault - sold under the name Sandero in South America. It could have been manufactured in the Ploiesti plant earlier this year, but the limited production capacity meant production started in the Renault plant in Curitiba (Brazil) instead. The model will be produced in Romania at a later date and sold on the European market.
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