Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, with the country’s Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, and representatives from Renault and Revoz have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and produce new Renault Twingo E-Tech EVs in Novo Mesto. The MoU sets out possible government support for the development and production of the new electric city car at the Revoz plant.
Through the MoU, Renault will base the production of the new Twingo at its Revoz plant in the Slovenian city of Novo Mesto, enabled by an extensive investment in new production processes. Following discussions with the investor, the Slovenian government decided to support this investment to secure the plant’s future, and subsequently the future of Revoz through its transition into an EV manufacturer.
The signed MoU further outlines potential incentives that the Slovenian government will take into account for OEMs. Among these are subsidies that investors can apply for, such as incentives for investments in tangible and intangible assets, development, research and innovation, the recruitment and retraining of employees, and more. The Slovenian government confirmed that the full extent of this support will depend on the investor’s specific applications for individual measures, which will be decided in accordance with the rules and procedures provided by law.
The future Twingo E-Tech represents Renault’s response to the growing demand for affordable electric city cars in Europe, as it aims to broaden the accessibility of electric mobility overall. Here, the OEM is looking to roll out the car in less than two years at a price point below €20,000 ($21,708 / £16,888) before purchase incentives. Through the new project, Renault ultimately hopes to accelerate digitalization and decarbonization efforts, provide additional training and retraining for employees, and strengthen Revoz’s cooperation with Slovenia’s development institutes and innovation clusters.
To prepare for the heightened rate of production at the Novo Mesto plant, Renault will invest mainly in new equipment and technologies – enhancing process development to innovate production processes. Employees will likewise benefit from extensive training and retraining in the digitalization and production of electric vehicles, while existing jobs will be preserved, and new ones will be created.