Renault reveals "futuREady" strategy to build 36 new models

The French automaker Renault announced a bold new plan called "futuREady" to stay ahead of the competition. It is a clever name for a serious goal. Renault wants to become the top car company in Europe while protecting its business from fast-moving rivals in China. The new roadmap follows a previous recovery plan from 2021, and it sets the stage for how the company will operate through the end of this decade.

The numbers in this plan are quite something. Renault Group intends to launch 36 new models over the next five years - that is more than seven new cars every year. Out of these 36 vehicles, 22 are headed for the European market. The other 14 will go to international markets. Electric cars are the main focus here. Renault says that 16 of the new European models will be fully electric. These new EVs will help the company transition away from gasoline, though Renault is not giving up on other engines just yet.

Hybrid cars will still play a major role for a while. Renault believes that hybrid technology is necessary because many parts of the world do not have enough chargers for a total EV takeover. They plan to keep selling hybrids in Europe past the year 2030. At the same time, they are looking to grow their global footprint. Renault wants to sell 2 million cars every year by 2030. They hope that half of those sales will happen outside of Europe. The best example of that plan is a rugged SUV called the Bridger that will go on sale in India to compete with the Suzuki Jimny.

Each brand under the Renault umbrella has a specific job to do. Dacia, known for being affordable, will start adding more electric parts to its lineup. By 2030, the company expects two-thirds of Dacia sales to be electrified. Dacia also plans to start building larger vehicles in what experts call the "C-segment." This means fans of the budget brand will soon have bigger options to choose from that still offer good value for the money.

Alpine is the brand for people who love speed and performance. They are working on a new version of the A110 sports car. This time, it will be an electric vehicle. Interestingly, the boss of Alpine, Philippe Krief, said the car's frame is flexible enough to hold a gasoline engine too. Alpine is also bringing out the A290 and the A390 electric cars. However, there is some bad news for drivers in North America. Renault has decided not to bring any of its brands to the United States or Canada for now.

One of the most technical parts of the plan involves a new building block for cars. Renault calls it the RGEV medium 2.0 platform. This new platform is designed for compact electric cars. It uses 800V charging technology, and it will help Renault cut the cost of building a car by 40 percent. Lower costs usually mean lower prices for customers. To show off what this technology can do, Renault created a concept car called the R-Space Lab. This sleek vehicle gives us a hint of what the next Espace model might look like.

The performance goals for these future electric cars are impressive. Renault says EVs built on this new platform could travel up to 466 miles on a full charge. If a car uses a "range extender" - a small engine that helps the battery - it could go as far as 870 miles. The new electric motors will be powerful, too. They are expected to produce up to 271 horsepower (275 PS), hopefully meaning the cars will be both efficient and fun to drive.

Renault is changing how it designs cars as well. They want to move toward "software-defined vehicles." Most features will be able to update through OTA without going to a mechanic. They even plan to use artificial intelligence to manage car systems. Perhaps most importantly, Renault wants to build cars much faster, with the aim of finishing a new car design in just two years. This speed is necessary to keep up with companies from China that are already moving very quickly.

Source