Renault Group pays tribute to its former Chairman and CEO, who passed away on November 6, 2025, by naming the Le Mans site (France), the Group’s chassis center of excellence, after him. Meanwhile, the group opens a new chapter in its electric journey by bringing together all of its charging activities and related services under a single name: Plug Inn.

Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault Group, and François Provost, CEO of Renault Group, visited the Le Mans site in France, a chassis center of excellence, on Tuesday to pay tribute to Louis Schweitzer, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group.

Schweizer passed away on November 6, 2025. To honor its decisive role in the development of the company and the Le Mans site, Renault Group has decided to rename the site the ‘Manufacture Louis Schweitzer – Le Mans‘, in the presence of local elected officials.

Decisive role

A major figure in Renault Group history, Louis Schweitzer played a decisive role in its modernization and internationalization. Under his presidency from 1992 to 2005, the Group underwent a profound transformation marked by the launch of emblematic models such as Twingo, Scénic and Kangoo, the acquisition of Dacia, the creation of the Alliance with Nissan and the structuring of key industrial subsidiaries, including Auto Chassis International (ACI) in 1999, which was to play an essential role in the development of the Le Mans site.

The link between Louis Schweitzer and the Le Mans site is both founding and structuring. “With the creation of Auto Chassis International (ACI) in 1999, Louis Schweitzer laid the foundations of a unique center of excellence in the global automotive industry, combining technological mastery and competitiveness, in particular thanks to the ‘make or buy’ model, always at the heart of the performance of industrialized projects at Le Mans and abroad,” says the press release.

“We decided with François Provost that it was important for a large site of the Group to bear the name of Louis Schweitzer,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault Group. “He reshaped the company by anchoring economic performance in the Group’s long-standing social values. That is why we decided to name the Le Mans site in France after him. It is a strong symbol and a way of recognizing that a great leader can mark the life of a huge company.”

“Le Mans site, the oldest of our company, embodies both the depth of our history and our constant ability to innovate. It brings together heritage and forward-looking ambition, industrial tradition and innovation. In that sense, it powerfully reflects what Louis Schweitzer passed on to Renault Group, and what continues to guide us as we look to the future,” CEO Françoos Provost added.

Le Mans site

The Le Mans site is currently developing major innovations such as automated bin picking by 3D vision, the development of laser cladding, a cutting-edge technology to reduce braking particle emissions, and the ‘by wire’ chassis that replaces traditional mechanical steering and braking links with ultra-precise electronic controls, currently on board the Filante Record 2025 demo car.

“A key player in Renault Group’s electrification strategy, Le Mans now supplies chassis components and architectures adapted to electrified vehicles across the entire range, from Renault 5 to Master ETech, and brings together a chassis technical center of 300 experts and a factory of 1,400 professionals, guaranteeing complete control of design and production for the mobility of the future,” concludes the press release.

Plug Inn

With Plug Inn, the Group wants to unify, clarify, and strengthen its charging ecosystem to support the large-scale rollout of electric mobility across Europe. The name change will take effect from April for fast-charging stations in France and by the end of the year for the other services.

“Plug Inn is a name that everyone can make their own, a strong, memorable marker that is easy to understand internationally. ‘Plug’ is directly linked to electric charging, while ‘Inn’ conveys an image of hospitality, comfort, and service drawn from the hotel industry.

All charging solutions of the group are brought together under the ‘Plug Inn’ banner: ‘Plug Inn fast charge’ for the ultra-fast charging network, ‘Plug Inn powerbox’, standing for the bidirectional charging solution combined with the intelligent V2G charging service, and ‘Plug Inn charge pass’ as the single payment solution providing access to charging anywhere across Europe.

“Our priority is to simplify every step of the electric experience for our customers by offering them a reliable, clear, and scalable charging ecosystem,” says Jérôme Faton, VP Customer Experience & Energy, Renault Group. “With Plug Inn, we are setting a structuring milestone: an infrastructure designed to support, on a large scale, the ramp-up of zero-emission mobility in Europe.”

“This is how we will help make the transition to all-electric mobility a simple, seamless, and accessible reality for everyone,” he added. The first step comes in April, when the Mobilize fast charge network becomes ‘Plug Inn fast charge’. A target of 93 stations has been set for the end of 2026 to sustainably strengthen the network’s coverage in France.

Plug Inn fast-charging stations are mainly located at Renault dealerships and along major road axes, ensuring accessibility, strong local anchoring, and visibility. They are open to all electric vehicle brands. They have been designed to offer the simplest, most comfortable, and most reliable charging experience possible, both for everyday use and long-distance travel.