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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.
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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.
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