“ACDC is growing into a very important engineering centre, and we want it to work for the globe,” said Vincent Piquet, chief financial officer at Renault Group’s EV division Ampere, in an interview last week.
Piquet said the Shanghai operation was working on developing battery-powered models for Ampere and Renault to sell to markets outside Europe. Renault operates in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, with a primary focus on Europe. Brazil and South Korea are also major markets for the company.
His comments came as the rise of Chinese EVs in Europe has forced the bloc’s carmakers to re-evaluate their strategies for survival.
With support from the Shanghai operation, Renault developed a more affordable version of the electric Twingo car in just 21 months, significantly shorter than the previous three- to four-year cycle. Priced at less than €20,000 (US$22,646), the model is set for release in 2026 in Europe.
The Shanghai centre also allowed for the rapid production of a new EV for Renault’s budget brand, Dacia, in just 16 months, the fastest development of a model in the group’s history. The company expects its cheaper EVs to compete with BYD’s Seagull and Nio’s Firefly in the European market.
