Ghosn says $3,000 car may come in 3 brand badges

By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent

TOKYO (Reuters) - A proposed $3,000 car that Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co are working on with India's Bajaj Auto Ltd could come in the three brands' badges, Carlos Ghosn, head of the Franco-Japanese alliance, said.

"There are three partners, so you can imagine having three different skins," Ghosn told Reuters in an interview in Tokyo on Friday.

Renault and Nissan have been in discussions with Bajaj, India's second-largest motorcycle maker, over the feasibility of building an ultra-low-cost car to rival Tata Motors' $2,500 "people's car" for Indians who can only afford a two-wheeler.

Ghosn said he would meet Bajaj's management and the project team on Monday in Pune, near Mumbai, to go over the blueprint.

"I've already seen the drawings. We know the kind of engine, transmission, material and size -- these things have already been established," he said. No prototype has been built yet.

"We are in a kind of pre-engineering, pre-conception period, but it's going to move very fast after that," he said, repeating that he hoped for a 2010 launch so as not to fall too far behind Tata's roll-out next year.

Ghosn said that using a new brand altogether was also a possibility, but stressed that one of the vehicle's aims was to conquer new customers for future purchases of Nissan and Renault cars.

"This is most likely going to be a first car for many people. (Customers') being familiar with your brand is extremely important for the future of your brand in many countries which are developing but that in 10, 20 years will be developed markets," he said.