Mexican Media Brands
Renault Zoe EV Braces for Tougher Competition
Renault SA aims to cut costs and pursue next-generation batteries to help its best-selling Zoe electric supermini face a flood of competitors that will begin late this year.
#hybrid
Share
Renault SA aims to cut costs and pursue next-generation batteries to help its best-selling Zoe electric supermini face a flood of competitors that will begin late this year.
The five-door hatch Zoe is Europe’s best-selling EV, with sales up 48% to 27,200 units last year through November, according to market researchers JATO Dynamics. Demand for the second-place Nissan Leaf over the same period was 16,500 units.
Gilles Normand, who heads Renault’s EV program, tells Automotive News Europe the company’s main focus last year was to double the Zoe’s driving range to 300 km (180 miles). Doing so, he says, helped lure mainstream buyers. The car retails for €23,700 ($29,100) in France.
Normand cites a need to lower the car’s price as competition heats up. He tells ANE the ability to cut production costs will become easier with the next-generation model, which will share a common Renault-Nissan alliance platform. In the meantime, he indicates that Renault will take other steps to fortify the Zoe’s market position in Europe.
RELATED CONTENT
-
What the VW ID. BUGGY Indicates
Volkswagen will be presenting a concept, the ID. BUGGY, a contemporary take on a dune buggy, based on the MEB electric platform that the company will be using for a wide array of production vehicles, at the International Geneva Motor Show.
-
GAC, CATL Partner on Two Battery Ventures
Two new battery ventures are being formed in China by domestic carmaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Ltd. and battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.
-
Aluminum Sheet for EV Battery Enclosure
As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) is about to increase almost exponentially, aluminum supplier Novelis is preparing to provide customers with protective solutions
