A great deal of focus has been on the international auto market recently, and sales figures are shocking people like they never have before. Renault is a name that might have slipped out of the memories of many drivers. However, the Indian branch of the French automaker has placed ten thousand orders for the recently rebranded Dacia Duster. Exports to the United Kingdom will start at the end of the year, and it might raise questions as to whether or not Renault will be pushing themselves into the North American market in full.

US automakers may fear competition from an additional foreign automaker. That being said, Renault would have to fight to gain ground anyways. Negative publicity has occasionally hurt the SUV industry, but the Renault Duster seems to have a positive image. American car companies might very well have to deal with additional foreign competition. This might not be a bad thing from a consumer perspective, since it could drag prices down. On the other hand, it could also rally individuals who believe in preferentially purchasing American goods.

Nissan is also going through a rebranding experiment. The Japanese automaker already has a major presence in the United States, and sales have remained somewhat respectable. Many drivers might remember that the Nissan Motor Company used to sell their vehicles under the Datsun name. Indonesian, Russian and Indian drivers will start to see that name once again by 2014.

This again raises questions for bean counters who pay close attention to the US and Canadian market. If Datsun motor vehicles showed up on domestic lots, it wouldn’t be like another automaker had suddenly showed up. For that matter, Nissan has several major domestic manufacturing facilities as it is. However, the herald itself could cause car buyers to think that there was a new player in town.

If this made Nissan’s vehicles more attractive, it would end up benefiting their sales figures. On the other hand, the Datsun brand could end up cannibalizing Nissan’s own customer base. It looks like Datsun will only be sold abroad thus far, however. Nevertheless, stranger things have happened. Opel once had a North American presence.