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Renault Aims to Become the Tesla of Europe Following Massive Operational Overhaul

Renault surprised everyone with a major overhaul of its operations, which put the French carmaker on the path to becoming the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) revolution leader. To pursue its future EV and software future, Renault spun off its ICE division to a JV company with Geely.
Following a massive overhaul, Renault aims to become the Tesla of Europe 6 photos
Photo: Renault
Following a massive overhaul, Renault aims to become the Tesla of EuropeRenault 5 EVRenault's CMF-EV ArchitectureRenault Megane E-Tech ElectricRenault's CMF-BEV Architecture
Luca de Meo took the helm of the Renault Group in July 2020, and soon after that, in January 2021, he presented his vision for the company under the name of Renaulution. Almost two years after that, the plan is shaping up as one of the most ambitious in the auto industry, clearing the path toward electric mobility and Software-Defined Vehicles. This is a novel concept pioneered by Tesla, with all other carmakers very reluctant to follow.

Renault looks to the future with the new plan, bold enough to change the name from Renaulution into Revolution. The automotive group will focus its resources on developing electric vehicles, software, new mobility services, and advances toward a circular economy. It’s pretty much what Tesla did, but with a twist.

Despite its new software-focus approach, Renault would not attempt to develop everything in-house but rely on powerful partners. As such, Renault has announced a strategic partnership with Google as its software automotive platform developer and Qualcomm for the hardware part. All the operations around the electric vehicle business would be joined under the Ampere umbrella, which will become the subject of an IPO early next year.

Ampere would be the first true EV and software pure player in the automotive landscape. The company will develop, manufacture, and sell battery-electric vehicles with cutting-edge Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technology under the Renault brand. Of course, Renault would base Ampere in France, keeping the most advanced part of its business in its home market.

Software-Defined Vehicles are considered the holy grail of electric mobility, allowing an EV to be constantly upgradable throughout its lifecycle, learning from its users, and keeping the vehicle linked “from cradle to grave” to the OEM. First Renault SDVs would launch in 2026, with an underlying computer platform based on Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions for the Centralized Electronic Architecture. Qualcomm is expected to become an investor in Renault’s Ampere, boosting its competitiveness.

Google would build its Android-based platform for Software-Defined Vehicles on top of Qualcomm’s platform. This allows Ampere to leverage one of the world’s largest global ecosystems of third-party app developers. Google would also become the preferred cloud supplier of the Renault Group. The platform would allow Renault to benefit from predictive maintenance and better detection of failures in real-time, a personalized experience onboard the vehicles, and insurance models based on actual usage and driving behaviors.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
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After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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