Renault Group and Volvo Group join forces to create a new company managing the development of an all-new generation of electric vans.
An all-new family of fully electric and software defined vehicles will be introduced by the new company, where the two groups look forward to CMA CGM joining the new company while Renault and Volvo will continue to seek additional investment and business partners with production planned to start in 2026.
Modularity and safety
The vehicles will be built on a new fully electric LCV skateboard platform that will offer high modularity for different body types at low cost and breakthrough on safety requirements.
Unrivalled performance and range of services thanks to high connectivity
Adopting the new Software Defined Vehicle architecture, the vehicle will onboard unprecedent capabilities to monitor the delivery activity and user business performance, reducing by 30% the global cost of usage for the logistic players. The connected services1 enabled by the software defined vehicle technology will offer to the customers up to date vehicles all lifelong. The van itself will offer outstanding compacity for urban mobility, high polyvalence for tailor made solutions, different battery capacities with unprecedent 800V feature for vans.
Agility of a new company combined with robust business plan and expertise of three champions
The new company will be fully independent, combining the agility of a start-up with the strong backbone of its industry-leading partners. Renault Group and Volvo Group aim to share investments in research and development and bring benefit of existing know-how, services, and industrial footprint to the new planned company. With smart capital allocations through the champions in each field, the new company will be based on a solid and efficient business model.
As a global champion of Light Commercial Vehicle and innovative leader in electric vehicle, Renault Group will bring the know how to develop and manufacture at scale the electric platform that will onboard its first Software Defined Vehicle architecture, offering unprecedent experience to connect in open source the vehicle to the logistic business environment.
Volvo Group is a global leader in trucks with a strong customer base of professional logistic companies, a global service network, and a wide experience in uptime and productivity services. Such services will, in combination with the innovative vehicle platform, contribute to a full solution for decarbonized urban logistics.
As a global player on all segments of the supply chain, CMA CGM intends to assist the new company in building appropriate solutions that can fit all transport and supply chain player’s needs, based on end-to-end efficient solutions.
The joint venture is scheduled to start operations early 2024, depending on the completion of all regulatory approval processes. The subsequent entry of CMA CGM in the company is equally subject to the completion of regulatory approval process.
The future company is planned to operate under its own corporate identity and will be based in France. Volvo Group, through its business area Renault Trucks, and Renault Group have been working together on light commercial vehicles for more than 35 years, materialized by the distribution in both networks of the Renault Master and Trafic commercial vehicles.
Volvo Group and Renault Group will remain competitors in all other areas.
1 Charging, routing, insurance, fleet management, financing etc
Source: Renault Group
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