Renault Aims for 5X Sales Growth in China

Renault SA says seven new models will lead its effort to multiply sales in China fivefold to 400,000 units by 2020. The company also intends to double its dealer network to 400 sites by 2022.

CEO Carlos Ghosn says most of the expanded lineup will be SUV/crossover vehicles. Three of the seven models will be electrics, including the Fluence sedan. That model will be assembled from imported kits at Renault’s joint-venture factory in Wuhan.

Renault, which sold about 20,000 vehicles in China last year between January and September, delivered 53,500 in the same period this year, according to bestsellingcarsblog.com. The two top-selling models, the midsize Koleos and compact Kadjar, are crossovers.

The Wuhan complex can produce as many as four models on two platforms, Automotive News Europe notes. The facility’s current capacity is 150,000 units per year. But Renault pointed out last year that the factory’s annual output could be expanded to 360,000.