Renault said this month it would combine three of its plants in northern France into a new legal entity, Renault ElectriCity, that will produce 400,000 vehicles a year by 2025
The combination of these two partnerships with Renault ElectriCity will create nearly 4,500 direct jobs in France by 2030, while developing a robust battery manufacturing ecosystem in the heart of Europe.
The new company will include the Douai car assembly site, the Ruitz gearbox manufacturing site and the Maubeuge commercial vehicles assembly plant from Jan. 1, 2022.
Renault said it was aiming to raise the average turnover per unit of its Arkana model to 30,000 euros ($36,153), from 15,000 euros at present.
Renault is looking to produce fewer cars and focus on those with higher margins, and this strategy is starting to bear some fruit despite weak overall results.
Auto groups are accelerating an overhaul away from diesel and into electric cars, encouraged by more stringent rules on pollution and emissions and growing consumer demand for greener vehicles.
Citroen, part of the Stellantis group created earlier this year from the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler, said on Monday it will manufacture the C5 X in the city of Chengdu in China.
The C5 X - the first new vehicle to be launched since Stellantis was formed in January - will go on sale in the second half of the year in China and European markets. It will be available in both petrol and plug-in hybrid versions.
The pair could team up in some capacity to work on the next generation of Renault Master vans.
Demand for vans of all sizes has jumped amid the COVID-19 pandemic, fuelled by ecommerce deliveries as people have ordered more goods from home during lockdowns.