Renault Annoounces European Production Sites for Electric Vehicle Pair

MAPLE CROSS, UNITED KINGDOM – November 6, 2009: Renault has announced the production sites for two of its forthcoming four-vehicle Z.E. (Zero Emission) range, starting in 2011. The Twizy Z.E. Concept-based city car will be manufactured at its Valladolid plant in Spain, with an electric supermini to be produced at the Flins plant near Paris.

The Valladolid plant, 150 kilometres north west of Madrid, already produces Modus exclusively alongside some Clio versions, and has been chosen due to its expertise in producing compact cars. Its sister plant in Flins, France, has been selected on the same basis for producing B-segment cars, namely Clio and Clio Campus.

Both decisions were also founded upon Renault’s objective of producing vehicles as close as possible to the markets in which they will be sold, namely Europe, in order to optimise logistical flows.

The Flins site will thus become a central hub in Renault's EV activity, producing the company's core-range electric model as well as manufacturing and recycling EV batteries. Flins will begin EV production in 2012. This urban, versatile model is expected to account for two-thirds of the Group’s EV sales in Europe.

France will be at the centre of Renault's zero-emission strategy:

Future EV development is currently taking place at the Technocentre in Guyancourt

A letter of intent has today been signed with Nissan, the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and France’s Strategic Investment Fund (FSI) to set up a French joint venture focused on EV battery advanced research, industrialisation and recycling

Fully 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.