Renault, Volvo and CMA CGM officially launch Flexis, a company dedicated to electric utility vehicles.

The Renault plant in Sandouville, in Seine-Maritime, has been chosen to produce, from 2026, a new generation of 100% electric utility vehicles based on Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) architecture, on behalf of Flexis.

Following legal agreement signed on October 6, 2023, Renault Group and Volvo Group have obtained the necessary regulatory approvals to officially launch at the end of March a new French entity, Flexis SAS, to develop a new generation of 100% electric vehicles based on the architecture. Software Defined Car (SDV), and volunteer services.

And in the middle of the week, the group CMA CGM joined Flexis by acquiring a 10% stake in the company, through Pulse, its €1.5 billion investment fund aimed at promoting the decarbonisation of the logistics value chain. The rest of the capital is divided equally between the Renault and Volvo groups (45% each), each of which plans to invest 300 million euros over the next three years in Flexis.

Philippe Divry and Krishnan Sundararajan have been appointed CEO and COO of Flexis respectively.

The Renault group has also indicated that it is its Sandouville plant, in Seine-Maritime, that will produce 100% electric vehicles from Flexis from 2026. To support this new activity and support the plant in the start of this new project. , a recruitment plan was announced for 550 employees (400 permanent contracts and 150 fixed-term contracts) over the next four years, which will be added to the 1,850 employees currently at the Normandy site.

“The work of this new project recognizes the expertise and commitment of the women and men of the Sandouville factory that will enter a new era with the production of this new generation of electric utility vehicles, a revolution in its design and which will change the equipment of tomorrowemphasizes Thierry Charvet, Director of Manufacturing and Quality of the Renault Group. Therefore Renault Group confirms its industrial trend in France and it is a source of pride and a challenge that we intend to take on this historic site, with the intention of remaining a benchmark in the sector. »

This decision completes the Renault Group’s commercial vehicle ecosystem, which is highly concentrated in France with its three plants, in Maubeuge (Kangoo), Sandouville (Trafic) and Batilly (Master). The Sandouville website has generated more than one million Traffic for the Renault brand and its partners, all versions combined.

According to Renault Group, the European market for electric utility vehicles is expected to grow by 40% per year by 2030.