Renault announced a new, wholly-owned legal entity Renault ElectriCity, that groups together the industrial sites of Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz in northern France, totalling nearly 5,000 employees.

This move is part of the previously announced Renaulution strategic plan, and will enable to "electrify" the plants with an ambition of 400,000 vehicles per year by 2025.

According to the French manufacturer, the Renault ElectriCity will be the largest and most competitive electric vehicle production center in Europe. We assume that Renault is talking about 400,000 EVs (or at least plug-ins) annually. As a side effect, 700 permanent new jobs will be added at the sites.

"By creating this single entity, Renault Group aims to make these plants the most competitive and efficient production unit for electric vehicles in Europe, with 400,000 vehicles produced per year by 2025. With this agreement, Renault Group has set itself three major objectives: 

  • To enable the deployment of a robust and coherent industrial project for all three plants;
  • To achieve operational excellence by relying on a managerial model, a social model and the modernisation of production sites;
  • Develop the attractiveness of the Northern Industrial Cluster to build an infrastructure for key electric vehicle components."

New EV platforms, new EVs

The most interesting part for us is about the plant assignments that reveal the use of new EV platforms and EV models.

Douai

The Douai plant is scheduled to start production of its first electric car later this year. It will be the all-electric Megane E-Vision, based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's CMF-EV platform, utilized also by Nissan in the upcoming Ariya model.

At a later point, the plant will start production of a new C-segment vehicle, also based on the same CMF-EV platform.

Renault will produce in Douai also EVs based on a new electric platform for B-segment vehicles.

In other words, there will be at least three all-new models, possibly more using two EV platforms.

  • The plant will produce its first electric vehicle, Mégane E-Vision, from 2021 on the Alliance's new modular CMF-EV platform; 
  • On the same platform, Douai will be assigned a new C-segment vehicle; 
  • A new electric platform dedicated to the industrialisation of B-segment vehicles will be installed. 

Maubeuge

The Maubeuge plant is not a newbie to EVs, as it has been making the Renault Kangoo Z.E. with lithium-ion batteries for about 10 years.

In 2022, Renault will launch the all-new Kangoo Van E-TECH Electric. We guess that the plant will produce also electric vans for Nissan and Daimler.

  • A pioneer and leader in the electric van segment in Europe for 10 years with Kangoo Electric, the site manufactures New Kangoo, New Kangoo Van for Renault and its partners Mercedes and Nissan and will produce New Kangoo E-Tech Electric in 2022;
  • In addition, the plant will be assigned other variants of New Kangoo.

Ruitz

The plant in Ruitz will supply electrical components to other plants.

The plant will host a new electrical components manufacturing activity.  

Gallery: Renault Manufacturing Plants

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@insideevs.com