Renault to produce Euro eco cars

Nov 9 2009 Steve Hughes

Renault to produce Euro eco cars

RENAULT has announced that its new range of zero-emissions vehicles are to be built in mainland Europe and that a letter of intent has been signed with partner Nissan, which is involved in battery-powered vehicle development in the UK.

The French firm says that the new models will go into full-scale production in 2011, with the unusually-named Twizy Z.E. city car being manufactured at its Valladolid plant in Spain, whilst an electric supermini called Zoe is to be produced at another of its plants near Paris, France.

The Spanish plant already produces the Modus and some Clio models and has been chosen for its expertise in producing compact cars. The French plant is said to have been chosen on the same basis for producing small cars including the Clio and Clio Campus.

Nissan in the North East of England makes similar-sized models including the Micra and Note.

Renault says that both decisions were also based upon it's objective of producing vehicles as close as possible to the markets in which they will be sold, which is primarily mainland Europe.

The French site will become a central hub in Renault's electric vehicle activity, producing the company's core-range electric model as well as manufacturing and recycling batteries. It will begin production in 2012 and is expected to account for two-thirds of the group's electric vehicle sales in Europe.

The company says: ``Aware of the issues involved in providing sustainable mobility, Renault has decided to mass-market a complete range of affordable zero-emission electric vehicles starting in 2011.''