Renault is about to introduce a supposedly more affordable electric city car
The French company Renault is about to present a new car, and it could happen by the end of today. It is supposedly a small, more affordable, electric city car whose production should take place in Novi Mesto, Slovenia, where Renault has its factory.
In the same factory, Renault already produces its Twingo ICE car. The new EV, however, will be smaller than the planned Renault EV 5 and with this information in mind, the new vehicle could be a kind of Twingo EV.
The new model should go on sale in 2026, and as such, it should be one of six new electric models that Renault intends to launch by 2030. Sources expect this more affordable electric city car to be smaller than the iconic R5 hatchback.
It will reportedly be part of a Renault EV company called Ampere, three separate industry sources told Reuters. Ampere wants to produce as many as 600,000 electric vehicles per year in 2026, as well as one million vehicles in 2031. Given that Renault sold 50 thousand electric vehicles last year, these goals sound quite optimistic.
RenaultThe move from the company is part of the automaker's efforts to convince investors to continue the EV business on the stock market, which is becoming complicated as demand in the industry is currently weak, while Chinese competition is rising in parallel.
Although the company with French roots pioneered the first-generation electric vehicle market with its long-time ally Nissan in the early 2010s, Renault has recently been lagging behind the competition. This is especially true in relation to Asian manufacturers and the Tesla company, given that global competition in this area is on the rise.
The separation of the Ampere company from the rest of the Renault group is also one of the strategies that should improve the EV market and should officially and fully happen next spring.