Shortly after agreeing on the future of the Alliance, Renault and Nissan have announced a renewed commitment to India with a $600 million investment that will support the development and production of six new models, some of which also meant for the international market.

Just a week after announcing the new, more balanced approach to the Renault-Nissan(-Mitsubishi) Alliance, which combines transparency and independence for all parties, Renault and Nissan have announced their plans for India.

C-segment SUVs and A-segment EVs, also for international markets

The Chennai base of operations for the Alliance in the Tamil Nadu region, which was the first common factory for Renault-Nissan, will receive an investment of around $600 million (around €558 million), allowing for the development of six new models and the creation of up to 2 000 jobs.

These six new models will consist of four C-segment SUVs and two A-segment EVs, built on Alliance platforms and presumably to be divided into two SUVs and one EV for each brand. The EVs will be the first of their kind for the Alliance in India, but no additional technical details are shared yet.

What is interesting, however, is that some of these models will be exported to the international market, meaning that Renault and/or Nissan may venture into a low-cost (EV?) model in Europe built in India, similar to what Renault is already doing with the Dacia Spring, which started its life in China as the Renault Kwid and is also produced in India for the domestic market.

Balanced ownership

It’s these export models that constitute the largest potential growth for the Chennai plant, creating up to 2 000 jobs thanks to increased plant utilization and R&D activities. With this new investment in India, Renault and Nissan have also renewed their ownership division, with Nissan owning 51% of the production facility and Renault having a share of 51% of the technology center in Chennai.

Finally, the Alliance announces the roadmap for carbon neutrality of the Chennai plant, which will be achieved by 2045 thanks to 100% renewable energy and a reduction of 50% in terms of energy consumption. The solar capacity of the plant will increase to 14 MW from 2,2 MW today.