Renault and Dongfeng will launch a new electric vehicle in China in 2017.
In a joint statement, the Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC) said it planned to introduce an electric vehicle based on the Fluence ZE in 2017. The new vehicle will be badged under a new sub-brand from Dongfeng and won’t be available outside China.
The launch of the new EV is understood to form part of DRAC’s long-term plan to introduce a five-car line-up in the country to capitalise on the growing appetite for home-grown cars. The plan, which was revealed in detail in June, calls for the range to include two SUVs, two saloons and one electric vehicle. The total project is reported to be worth $1.28 billion.
From its Wuhan-based plant, DRAC wants to have an initial output of around 150,000 cars annually - rising to 600,000 vehicles per year by the end of the decade.
DRAC boss Jacques Daniel said the new agreement was “part of the will of both the Renault Group and the Dongfeng Group to propose mobility solutions for sustainable development”. However, the venture also forms part of a larger push within China to produce more EVs.
At the Global Automotive Forum earlier this year, Chinese officials said the official target was to reach one million EVs in the country by 2025. Currently, that number stands at just 83,000.
The target has already been scaled back once from the original plan to have 500,000 new-energy vehicles on China's roads by the end of 2015.
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China's Urban Air pollution needs EV solutions
EV solutions should generate success for their manufacturers.
BUT I am glad that the Chinese version of the Fluence EV will NOT be sold outside China.