“Why India? This region, like Latam, is crucial to our international ambition,” he said at a press conference in Chennai.
“India represents more than 1/3 (34 per cent) of the total industry volume growth in the markets where Renault Group operates. It is one of the fastest growing automotive markets. With futuREady, we are competing in a market of around 50 million vehicles per year, which is more than half of the global market (55 per cent),” Provost said.
“FutuREady is a growth plan. It includes 36 launches to consolidate our leadership in Europe and accelerate in selected high-growth markets such as South America and, of course, India. Outside Europe, for the Renault brand, we are targeting 50 per cent electrified sales by 2030, driven by our E-Tech full hybrid technology,” he said.
“To achieve our ambition in India, we are entering our largest product renewal cycle in India. We will introduce new vehicles, bringing our portfolio to 7 models by 2030,” Provost said.
“We have already launched the new Duster, and we are already seeing strong interest and enthusiasm from customers. We presented the new Bridger concept: a multi-energy vehicle. Our goal is to begin production in India in the second half of next year,” he added.
“But our ambition goes beyond “India for India” in growth and product. We also see India as a source of competitiveness for the whole Group: a technology hub, an export hub and a strategic asset on a global scale. That is what we call “India for the world”,” Provost said.
“India is already a major source of engineering and innovation for Renault Group. With 6,000 engineers in vehicle engineering and IS/IT in Chennai, India is one of Renault’s key engineering centres worldwide. And, we want to go further,” he said.
“We will also deploy new technologies in India with two key platforms: The Renault Group Entry Platform (RGEP) and the Renault Group Modular Platform (RGMP),” Provost said.
“The Chennai plant was built in 2008 as part of our partnership with Nissan. Less than one year ago, Renault Group took full control of the plant. This decision reflects the confidence we have in our Indian ecosystem. This site will play a crucial role in our future and in the delivery of our plan,” he said.
“We want to integrate India more deeply into Renault Group’s global value chain, especially through vehicle and component exports. Our objective is to reach 2 billion euros annually in exports by 2030,” Provost said.
Renault has 15,000 employees.
“I strongly believe in the competitiveness of our Indian ecosystem, in our ability to grow in the local market, and in our capacity to make India a key driver of Renault Group’s international ambition,” Provost said.
“Across RGEP and RGMP, we are building a seven-car portfolio — from less than 4 meters to 4.7 meters, from ICE to CNG and E-tech solutions such as strong hybrids and electric vehicles,” Stéphane Deblaise, CEO, Renault Group in India, said.
India would play a significant role in Renault Group’s technology roadmap and vehicles developments, he said.
“Our India Engineering Centre will be a key development hub for software. Our teams will evolve into a true “model-year factory” for Renault Group — driving continuous product development, lifecycle upgrades and enhancement,” Deblaise said.