Renault ElectriCity to be Europe’s largest EV production hub

As part of the Renaulution strategic plan unveiled earlier this year, Renault Group and trade unions (CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC, CGT, FO and SUD) have signed an agreement for the future of the Renault sites in the Hauts-de-France region. The agreement is to create Renault ElectriCity, the Renault wholly owned legal entity which will group together the industrial sites of Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz, totalling nearly 5,000 employees.

By creating this single entity, Renault Group aims to make these plants the most competitive and efficient production unit for electric vehicles in Europe, with 400,000 vehicles produced per year by 2025. The Renault Group has set itself three major objectives:

– To enable the deployment of a robust and coherent industrial project for all three plants
– To achieve operational excellence by relying on a managerial model, a social model and the modernisation of production sites
– Develop the attractiveness of the Northern Industrial Cluster to build an infrastructure for key electric vehicle components

To support this ambitious industrial project, Renault Group plans to create 700 permanent jobs between 2022 and the end of 2024, with 350 new hires at the Maubeuge site and 350 new hires spread over the Douai and Ruitz sites. These recruitments will take place within the framework of shared approaches with local employment missions, Pôle Emploi and all the stakeholders in the region.

Renault says the Hauts-de-France region has the necessary assets to become the European reference in terms of know-how and production throughout the electric car value chain. In conjunction with its R&D functions, Renault Group will form partnerships with universities to set up training schemes adapted to the changing automotive market and will contribute to research work.

Renault will also participate in innovation initiatives in partnership with start-ups and specialised entities to support future developments by participating in ‘Incubator’ type initiatives.

Finally, as the proximity of the Group’s partners is an essential condition for success, Renault will locate both the battery factory project and other partners producing EV components near its factories.