Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryAutomotive
PredecessorSanjiang Renault Automotive Company
Founded1993 (as Sanjiang Renault)
16 December 2013 (as Dongfeng Renault)
Defunct28 August 2020
SuccessorDongfeng Motor (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.
Headquarters
Wuhan
,
China
Area served
China
Key people
Ge Shuwen (President)[1]
ProductsAutomobiles
Production output
Decrease 47,769 (2018)[2]
OwnerDongfeng Motor Group (50%)
Renault S.A. (50%)
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese东风雷诺汽车有限公司
Traditional Chinese東風雷諾汽車有限公司
Dongfeng Renault
Simplified Chinese东风雷诺
Traditional Chinese東風雷諾
Websitewww.dongfeng-renault.com.cn

Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company (DRAC) or Dongfeng Renault was an equally owned Chinese joint venture between car manufacturers Dongfeng Motor Group and Renault aimed to produce and sell Renault-badged vehicles, established in 2013. The joint venture emerged from Sanjiang Renault, a previous partnership between Renault and Sanjiang Space established in 1993. Renault announced it planned to withdraw from the joint venture in April 2020.

History

Sanjiang Renault

In 1993, Renault and Sanjiang Space Group established a manufacturing joint venture at Xiaogan called Sanjiang Renault Automotive Company (Chinese: 三江雷诺汽车有限公司).[3][4] Renault had a 45% stake in the company while Sanjiang had 55%.[5] In 1995, the company started assembling Renault Trafics. The partnership proved unsuccessful,[5] and Sanjiang Renault only assembled 4,906 units[4] before it halted production in 2003[3] or 2004.[5]

Dongfeng Renault

Talks with Dongfeng began in 2004[5] or 2003[3] around the same time production halted at the failed Sanjiang-Renault partnership. As part of Dongfeng's agreements with Nissan, the three companies agreed to create eventually a so-called "golden triangle" of three-way collaboration.[5] In June 2013, Dongfeng acquired the 55% stake in Sanjiang Renault from its erstwhile Chinese partner renaming the legal entity Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company.[3] Renault signed on to the creation of an equally owned joint venture on 16 December 2013 after gaining final approval from the Chinese government.[6]

Dongfeng Renault sold only 18,607 cars in 2019 and reported an operating loss of more than 1.5 billion yuan ($212 million).[7] In April 2020, following poor sales, Renault announced that it would concentrate on commercial and electric vehicles for the Chinese market.[8] In August 2020, the Dongfeng Renault venture was officially dissolved and Renault transferred its stake to Dongfeng. The operations were renamed as Dongfeng Motor (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.[9]

Operations

Dongfeng Renault was in charge of Renault's China sales. The Dongfeng Renault plant was built at Wuhan and started production in February 2016. It had an estimated output of up to 150,000 vehicles per year.[10] The Renault's Wuhan facilities also included an engine workshop and a research and development centre.[10]Production focused on sport utility vehicles (SUVs).[6]

Produced models

Imported models

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "葛树文任东风雷诺汽车有限公司总裁 福兰任中国独立大区主席" [Ge Shuwen is the President of Dongfeng Renault Automobile Co., Ltd. Provost is the Chairman of the China region]. sohu.com (in Chinese). 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Report on Production and Sales Volume of Dongfeng Motor Group at December 2018" (PDF). DFG. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dongfeng, Renault to set up US$1.8b joint venture". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b Personal Cars and China. National Academies Press. 2003. p. 56. ISBN 0-309-08492-X.
  5. ^ a b c d e Han, Tianyang (7 January 2013). "After eight years of talks, a Renault-Dongfeng agreement". chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Renault accelerates global growth through new joint venture with Dongfeng in China". Renault. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Renault withdraws from Dongfeng venture, its main China business, as sales slump". Reuters. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Renault to stop producing passenger cars". Rfi. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  9. ^ "雷诺退出东风雷诺股东行列 在华表现或持续走低" [Renault transfers Dongfeng Renault stake, its performance in China may continue to decline]. auto.caijing.com.cn. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Hao, Yan (15 February 2016). "Renault opens plant in Hubei province to produce Kadjar SUV". chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  11. ^ "2016 Registration Document" (PDF). Renault. p. 14. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  12. ^ "【图】2019成都车展:雷诺 e诺补贴后6.18万起_汽车之家". www.autohome.com.cn. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
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