On Tuesday, Renault Group CEO François Provost presented the new plan for the future, ‘FutuReady’, the successor to Renaulution, the brainchild of its flamboyant predecessor, Luca de Meo.
As the new CEO put it, the new plan is characterized by pragmatic optimism. In these hard times for the automotive industry, Renault wants to grow to survive, but also stay prudent in the rollout of its future.
The announcement has apparently been well received by shareholders and the stock market; Renault Group’s stock price rose 3% yesterday. Provost wants his Group to be less dependent on Europe and grow outside the old continent, with special attention to South America, India, and South Korea.
Less dependent on Europe
The fact that Renault Group sells at least two-thirds of its cars in Europe has been a benefit lately because it doesn’t have to compete in the highly competitive Chinese market and doesn’t suffer from the Trumpian tariffs in the US.
Nevertheless, relying solely on Europe poses a future risk, especially if you want to grow. That’s why Provost says that Renault wants to sell half of its cars outside Europe by 2030.
Not that Renault wants to sell fewer cars in Europe, it just wants to sell more in other continents and increase its yearly output from approximately 1.6 million cars today to 2 million in five years.
“We do it with a very targeted offensive, I don’t intend to grow everywhere,” Provost says in an interview with Charlotte Reed from CNBC. “We will focus on India, we are doing a ‘India for India’ plan to grow in India, but we will also use India as a competitive hub worldwide.”
“There’s also South America. In both cases, we’ve been present for decades there, and now we’re dedicating our investments and competitiveness to deliver strong growth, also because the markets are growing very fast, both in India and in South America,” he added. Of the 36 new models Renault plans to launch over the next five years, 14 are destined for non-European markets.
Electrification
In Europe, Renault continues to bet on electrification. By 2030, all cars sold in Europe will have to be electrified, with half BEVs and the other half hybrids. To persuade consumers to go for electric, the manufacturer wants to keep prices as low as possible. That’s why there will also be a €18,000 Dacia version based on the already-interestingly-priced Renault Twingo.
At the same time, Renault isn’t abandoning hybrids, as it is developing a new electric platform for a PHEV equipped with a range extender, boosting the car’s range to 1,400 km. The first EREV of this kind from Renault should be on the market in 2028.
Renault has the ambition for an electric technology “at the same level as the Chinese”, with batteries capable of being recharged in 10 minutes, with 800 volt technology, and new electromotors without the use of rare metals, giving 750 km of autonomy and 20% better energy efficiency.
2026 will also be the year for Renault’s first software-defined vehicle (SDV), which can be updated permanently ‘over the air’. It will be an electric version of the Trafic LCV, built in Sandouville, Normandy.
In its factories, Renault will also follow the trend started by automakers like BMW and Hyundai, using humanoid robots. 350 of such robots, produced by the French start-up Wandercraft, will be installed in the next 18 months.
Cost-cutting
Yesterday, we already indicated that Renault foresees an operational margin of 5.5% to 7%, given the difficult situation the automotive industry is facing. To achieve this, production costs must decrease by 20%. Logistics costs must fall by 30%, and development costs by 40%, while the development of a new car must take no longer than two years.
“We want to become the referential European car manufacturer,” a determined Provost concludes proudly. “It means having the ambition to develop and produce products in Europe of the highest level in terms of desirability, technology, and competitiveness.”
“In an automotive environment more competitive than ever, this means that one has to pair performance and innovation with resilience and robustness. That’s why we have to progress and transform ourselves in the quickest possible way to avoid difficult restructuring measures later on.”
