French carmaker Renault said Tuesday it aims to end selling simple internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe by 2030 and plans to develop its new electric car platform with Google.
Unveiling its new multiyear strategic plan, it targeted a nearly 23 per cent increase in sales of Renault brand vehicles by 2030 to two million per year.
“By 2030, the brand is aiming for… 100 per cent electrified sales in Europe and 50 per cent outside Europe,” the company said, which includes hybrid vehicles.
Some 40 per cent of the vehicles the carmaker sold in Europe last year were still equipped with purely fossil fuel-powered engines.
It said it also intended to have achieved a shift towards electric mobility at its budget brand Dacia by then as well, increasing the number of electric vehicles in its range from one to four.
Renault’s strategy is in stark contrast to that of its rival Stellantis, which stunned investors last month with a massive 22-billion-euro ($25-billion) write-down of its EV operations, saying it had misjudged buyers’ willingness to shift to cleaner vehicles.
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Renault chief executive Francois Provost said the company’s ambition for the coming years is “to design and produce in Europe products that are best‑in‑class in terms of desirability, technology and competitiveness”.
The group envisages releasing 22 new models in Europe, including 16 electric ones, and 14 models on international markets.
The company said it plans to develop its new electric car platform together with Google.
“It will also be the first carOS co-developed with the partner Google, based on Android,” the company said.
Renault said the aim is to have 90 per cent of the vehicle functions able to be updated remotely, cutting time to deploy updates, and be able to handle ultra-fast charging in as little as 10 minutes.
Renault makes less money on electric vehicles than those with fossil fuel-powered engines. Its operating margin fell from 7.6 per cent in 2024 to 6.3 per cent last year and is set to fall further to 5.5 per cent next year.
The carmaker said it aims to keep operating margin between five and seven percent.
AFP
