Renault Shifts Capacity Balance for Gasoline Engines

Renault SA is reconfiguring its huge engine factory in Valladolid, Spain, to make fewer diesels and more gasoline powerplants to match shifting consumer demand.

The plant’s current output mix is 70% diesels and 30% gasoline engines. The plant’s manager tells Reuters the ratio will be 50:50 by the end of this year. The factory produces more than 40% of the engines used by Renault in its European-market vehicles.

The plant currently builds Renault’s 1.5-liter diesel on two lines. A third line was added recently that assembles 0.9-liter 3-cylinder and 1.2-liter gasoline engines. Reuters says the two diesel lines are now being rebuilt to produce a mix of diesels and gasoline engines.