Renault outlines production plans for new EVs

PARIS — The Renault 4 small electric SUV will be built in Maubeuge, northern France, starting in 2024, Renault Group said.
 
The Renault 4 – a full-electric reimagining of the iconic model — will debut at the Paris auto show on Oct. 17, with a show car called the 4ever. It is a companion model to the Renault 5, which is expected to start production earlier in 2024 at the automaker’s factory in Douai, about 80 km to the west.
 
The two plants are part of Renault’s ElectriCity production network in northern France, which will group together electric cars, batteries and other electrified components.
 
At the same time as Renault concentrates the EV value chain in France, it is also preparing to separate its internal-combustion engine activities into a separate unit, with as-yet-unannounced partners, who would be based in countries with lower labor costs. Details are expected to be announced Nov. 8.

A third EV model, the coming Scenic compact SUV, will be built at Douai, with production to start by 2025. A full-electric replacement for the Nissan Micra small car will also enter production by then. The GT, an electric crossover from sporty brand Alpine, will be built in Dieppe, on the northwest coast.
 
The goal is to build 700,000 vehicles annually in France, nearly all of them full electric.

Renault announced the production allocations in a news release. “We are proud to lead the battle for competitiveness in France,” CEO Luca de Meo said in the release. “We are making France the heart of our electric activities with new hiring and the allocation of iconic models such as the Renault 4, Renault 5 and Scenic.”  
 
Other automakers including BMW and Mercedes are making plans to concentrate their future EV activities within their home country – Germany, in those cases – partly for political considerations.
 
The French government has dedicated billions to developing EV-related activities within the country, most recently as part of an 8 billion-euro COVID-19 relief package announced in 2020.
 
Among other details of the Renault announcement:
 

• The powertrain factory in Cleon will start production of a new-generation electric motor with 200 kilowatts output in 2027. It will be developed by Renault and new partner Valeo, and as with current motors it will not use rare-earth metals. The factory plans to build 1 million motors annually by 2024.
• A new generation of electric vans will debut with the compact Kangoo E-Tech (built in Maubeuge), the midsize Trafic (Batilly) and the large Master (Sandouville).
• Renault plans to retrain 15,000 workers for EV activities through its ReKnow program by 2025. In addition, the automaker said it had created 1,000 additional jobs this year, as part of 2,500 electrification-related positions that will be added in France by 2024.