Renault and Geely are strengthening their industrial cooperation. The French carmaker will use the Chinese group’s GEA platform. The aim is to produce electric and rechargeable hybrid SUVs. These models will be developed in China, but will also be destined for other markets. South-East Asia and Latin America are the priority targets.
A new platform for Renault
Geely’s GEA platform, already in use in China, will be shared with a foreign manufacturer for the first time. Renault will be responsible for the exterior design, while the technical aspects will be based on solutions already tried and tested by Geely. The aim is to reduce development costs and enable new models to be launched more quickly.
The SUVs will be manufactured in China but will not be driven on European roads. They will be aimed primarily at South-East Asia and Latin America, where Renault has a solid sales network. Geely will also be able to take advantage of this local presence to accelerate its expansion.
An already fruitful cooperation
Renault is already marketing the Grand Koleos in South Korea. This SUV is based on a Geely platform, and its results have been encouraging. Geely also owns 34% of Renault Korea Motors and a minority stake in Renault Brazil.
Renault has access to a new generation of technology while limiting its investments. For its part, Geely is able to cross Chinese borders more quickly thanks to its partner’s local experience. However, projects for Europe remain totally independent of this collaboration.
