Renault and Volvo will jointly develop passenger cars under the Flexis brand

Renault is like that friend who, for everything he does, asks in the WhatsApp group if someone is coming with him. Celebrating a birthday, getting new clothes, having a bite to eat: Renault doesn’t like to do anything alone. For example, Renault is working with Nissan and Mitsubishi, there were rumors that Renault wanted to do business with Volkswagen and Stellantis and there were plans to have its sports sibling Alpine team up with Lotus. Now Renault, together with Volvo, is setting up a start-up Flexis to develop electric cars.

Both car companies will invest 300 million euros in a new startup called Flexis over the next three years. A lot of hard work comes from Renault. The vehicles come from the Renault factory, use the same batteries as the next generation Alpine EV and will be sold under the Renault Trucks brand.

‘Tesla of buses’

Volvo and Renault are forming a company because they expect demand for zero-emission cars to increase by 40 per cent by 2030. Renault boss Luca de Meo says: ‘In a way this is the Tesla of commercial vehicles. That’s how you should see it.’ According to De Meo, the idea for Flexis came from Arriving, the bus project of Rivian, Amazon, UPS and the Post Office. Maybe not the best example, because Arrival is now bankrupt. It also takes no management cues from Saab or Spyker.

What will Volvo and Renault cars look like?

The first Flexis prototype should be delivered in 2026. De Meo calls the concept an ‘entry-level bus’ that is easy to drive, even in the city centre. For example, a work van must have a hatchback turning circle. In terms of size, you can think of a Renault Kangoo, but with a higher roof so that the luggage space is similar to that of the larger Renault Trafic.

The postman’s job should also be a little easier with Volvo and Renault cars. Packages are automatically sorted according to the set path – this will of course happen during loading. The bus also arranges temporary charging stations to keep the driver from thinking about this. Renault and Volvo are still looking for additional investors.