in , Luca de Meo defends his baby Ampere

in , Luca de Meo defends his baby Ampere
in Douai, Luca de Meo defends his baby Ampere

Luca de Meo is very proud of his baby. Visiting the factory (Hauts-de-) this Wednesday, the Renault boss welcomed, in front of dozens of journalists from across Europe, the choice to found Ampere almost a year ago. Entirely dedicated to electric cars, this entity, equipped with “total autonomy”constitutes “one of (his) best decisions”. Nothing less! Ampere appears to be the right answer, according to him, to allow Renault to catch up in the electric car market. With the ambition to keep up with Chinese manufacturers, who are nevertheless several steps ahead.

In its organization, Ampere brings together all of Renault's electrical activities. This ranges from factories and assembly lines entirely specialized in this technology, to the manufacturing of batteries, to the design of embedded software. This strategy is not obvious. It appears, for example, very different from that of Stellantis. Renault's great rival, for its part, has opted for platforms capable of assembling all types of vehicles, whether with thermal or electric engines.

Reduce costs by 40%

Regardless, Luca de Meo remains convinced that Ampere is the best solution to quickly reduce costs and gain competitiveness. An imperative to finally democratize the electric car.

“We are on the right trackassures the manager. I believe that by 2026, Ampere will be halfway to its ambition to reduce costs by 40%. »

To achieve this, its engineers are working on optimizing batteries, which represent 30% to 50% of the cost of an electric car. Ampere will notably integrate so-called LFP (Lithium, Iron, Phosphate) chemistry into its cars from 2026.

Ampere's specialization in electrics allows it, according to Luca de Meo, to design cars much more quickly. And therefore save money. The new Twingo, which should arrive on the market in 2026 at a price of less than 20,000 euros, will be notably developed “in less than two years”promises the boss of Renault. “When you do that, you match the Chinese players in terms of speed”he congratulates himself. Having a platform dedicated to electricity also allows cars to be manufactured more quickly in factories. In Douai, where some 530 Méganes and other Scénics come out every day today, Renault hopes, in fineassemble your new R5 “in less than ten hours”.

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“Learn from the Chinese ecosystem”

To gain efficiency, Ampere has its eyes turned towards the Middle Kingdom. The subsidiary does not hide it: it seeks to “learn from the Chinese ecosystem”the benchmark for electric cars. The subsidiary benefits from the work of a Renault team of around 150 people, based in Shanghai. Named Advanced China Development Center (ACDC), its mission is to “bring the best technologies back to Europe”et “to imitate Chinese manufacturers where they do better than us”specifies Luca de Meo.

Proof of the “competitiveness” of Ampere, argues the boss, its subsidiary has established partnerships with two other brands. Nissan will rely on its know-how to produce its compact Micra and a small city car in the A segment for Europe. Mitsubishi, for its part, will manufacture an SUV in Douai from 2025. Luca de Meo's message is clear: if the great reluctance of investors prevented him from listing Ampere on the stock market at the start of the year, this will not does not, according to him, hinder its development. “Renault earns enough money to support this project”he swept away.

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