Renault – Page 5
-
Article
Gestamp opens two new facilities
Spain - The company has opened a new plant in Matsusaka - it's first in Japan. Costing around €40m (US$46m), the facility will be used to make body-in-white components using hot stamping, and will initially supply Honda."Gestamp’s strategy is always to accompany our customers and we are proud to be ...
-
Article
Alpine scales new heights
One of the most interesting plant revivals in the last 12 months has been Renault’s overhaul of its factory in Dieppe, which now builds the A110 sports car. Nick Gibbs reportsThis is the home of Alpine, the revived sporting brand that Renault may or may not expand to become a ...
-
Article
Renault/Brilliance to make electric LCVs
China - The two companies have teamed up and signed a strategic agreement with Chinese officials from Liaoning province, which is situated in the northeastern part of the country. Here, the companies will produce three new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from their plant in Shenyang."Ten months after our initial launch ...
-
Article
Novares extends production footprint
Serbia - The supplier has increased the size of its factory in Zrenjanin by a third. It is used to make complex plastics components for the automotive industry, including exterior and interior parts, body trims and engine parts."Zrenjanin site has proven excellent performance and quality records and this extension is ...
-
Article
Food for thought in Paris
So many big names were absent from this year’s Paris motor show that the long-term future of these events must soon be called into question. Nissan, Volvo, Opel, Ford and Fiat in particular were notable no-shows. Audi and Skoda had a presence, but the Volkswagen brand was perhaps the biggest ...
-
Article
A European focus
The third edition of the French automotive forum offered insights into the region’s production footprint and OEM e-mobility strategies. Nick Holt reports The 3rd FEAL Auto forum placed its focus on the Hauts-de-France, seen as a primary region for automotive manufacturing. The event highlighted the strong commitment from both regional ...
-
Article
PSA – setting a new pace with Opel
Having bought the perennial loss-making Opel-Vauxhall operations from GM last year, PSA has lost no time in starting with the turnaround required. And the early signs are that it has already had a notable impact, something which may surprise many, myself included. When the acquisition was announced in early 2017, ...
-
Article
Centre of operations
Investment in new plants and expansion of existing facilities shows central Europe to be at the heart of vehicle manufacturers’ regional strategiesAt first glance, vehicle production in central Europe – essentially the former communist bloc countries west of the Russian border – appears to centre on Volkswagen with its Skoda ...
-
Article
The man who saved Fiat and Chrysler
Sergio Marchionne was a remarkable man. He dominated the auto industry’s headlines and news agenda and his passing robs the industry of one of its few star namesIn an age when be-suited corporate types still bestride many auto sector boardrooms, Marchionne’s casual dress sense (sweater and no tie were de ...
-
Article
Nissan boosts Navara production
Argentina - The pick-up is now being built at the Renault plant in Santa Isabel, Cordoba. Nissan has cited rising global demand for the model as justification for the move."With more than 15 million Nissan pickup owners across 180 countries, trucks are a growing segment across the world and a ...
-
Article
Steel makes a strong case
With the push for powertrain electrification gaining strength producers of high-strength steel are preparing themselves to capitalise reports James Bakewell In 2017, global sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) reached 1.3m units, according to Frédéric Painchault, head of Global Automotive Marketing at steelmaker ...
-
Article
A future European giant?
New models and increased market share: Ian Henry reports on PSA’s improving fortunes under Carlos Tavares’ leadershipWhen Carlos Tavares arrived at PSA from Renault in 2014, he set about turning around the loss-making company. His plan, embodied under the strapline ‘Back in the Race’, aimed to restore PSA to profitability, ...
-
Article
Gaining PACE!
Groupe PSA’s acquisition of GM’s loss-making European operations raised a few eyebrows. Ian Henry looks at the plan to turn around the Opel/Vauxhall brandsAfter several months of due diligence, the deal was completed on August 1, 2017. Come early November, a new strategy, PACE!, was announced. Having been making a ...
-
Article
AAM builds new powertrain plant
Spain - American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) has started construction of a new 15,000 sq.m facility in Viladecans - a town located 20km southwest of Barcelona. The company says it will house the production of powertrain components for several car makers, such as Renault, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, Audi and Ford.“As ...
-
Article
OEMs face tough choices over Iran
When Iran reached agreement with the global community in 2015 regarding denuclearisation, resulting in the lifting of sanctions in early 2016, almost immediately Renault and PSA announced their return to the country. Prior to Iran being ostracised, both companies had been active there via joint venture (JV) manufacturing operations, mostly ...
-
Article
Renault invests in EV production
France - The OEM has said it will spend €1 billion (US$1.16 billion) on the development and production of electric vehicles (EVs) in France. This will play an important role in its 'Drive the Future' plan, in which one of the goals is to bring 8 pure electric models and ...
-
Article
Renault builds plant in Faisalabad
Pakistan - The French OEM has revealed that it has bought an industrial plot of land on which it will build a "world-class facility" for the manufacturing and assembly of its vehicles. Production is expected to begin in 2020, with an initial annual capacity of around 50,000 units.Located in Faisalabad, ...
-
Article
Building the boost
The manufacturing process of turbochargers requires high precision and extensive testing. Michael Nash provides insightThe trend of vehicle electrification is picking up pace as more car manufacturers launch new hybridised and pure electric models. Some have even promised that all their models will soon feature some level of electrification, be ...
-
Article
Raising the volume
Turkey is on Europe’s geographic fringes, but central to its automotive manufacturing network. Ian Henry reportsAccording to the Turkish automotive trade association, OSD, at the end of 2017, Turkey’s automotive manufacturers had a total production capacity of close to 2m vehicles a year, divided c1.4m cars, c400,000 vans and around ...
-
Article
Foreign policy friction
Tariffs on steel imports, NAFTA renegotiation and the return to sanctions on Iran have been at the centre of recent policy actions by the US president; the implications for the auto industry are potentially severe but how things will develop are far from clear.The decision to impose tariffs on steel ...