Renault will reportedly build the cabs for a new midsize truck being developed by Volvo and Mitsubishi.

Plans for the joint project were disclosed in December. Now a Japanese newspaper reports that a Renault plant in northwestern France expects to produce some 50,000 cabs a year for the new vehicle, starting in 2004. Final assembly for the Volvo branded truck, to be sold in Europe, will be done at Volvo’s Ghent plant in Belgium. Mitsubishi will assemble trucks carrying its name for the Asian market.
Volvo recently took over Renault’s truck operations, including Renault V.I. in Europe and Mack Trucks in the U.S. In return, Renault got a 20% of Volvo. Volvo owns 5% of Mitsubishi, and the two are still trying to work out details of a plan to spin off Mitsubishi’s truck operations, creating a separate company that would be 20% owned by Volvo. However, that union hit a snag when DaimlerChrysler bought 34% of Mitsubishi, with an option to take a controlling interest in three years.