Renault to Launch All-Electric Twingo in 2014, Zoe Z.E. Coming in 2012

Renault will add a new Twingo to its Z.E. range of electric vehicles in the second half of 2014, according to Jacques Bousquet, head of Renault Italy. The French automaker’s official said the Twingo Z.E. will be the company's fifth EV, after the Kangoo, Fluence, Twizy and Zoe.

The executive revealed that Renault’s alliance with Daimler AG helped speed up the development of the next-generation Twingo-based Z.E. model, as the Twingo's new platform will be shared with a future four-seat Smart car.

Bousquet added that the Kangoo Z.E. will be joined by more electric vans in the future. "The Kangoo Z.E. is the first of a broader range of battery-powered light commercial vehicles we are currently developing," he said.

The official also revealed the timetable for the market launch of the Z.E. models as well as their prices in France. The first to go on sale will be the Fluence Z.E. sedan, which will arrive in showrooms in mid-2011 with a base price of €26,000 ($36,200) including sales tax. The monthly fee for the battery lease (on a 36-month plan) will be €79 ($110).

Next up will be the Kangoo Z.E.. The small commercial van will cost €20,000 ($27,850) excluding tax, while there’s also a €72 ($100) fee to be paid each month for the battery pack. In France, the car will cost €15,000 ($20,900) since it qualifies for incentives, equaling the price of the diesel Kangoo.

The two-seater Twizy EV will be launched in December for a price of €6,990 ($9730) including tax, plus €45 ($63) as a monthly payment for the battery. Finally, the core model for the Z.E. range, the Zoe supermini, will arrive in mid-2012. The price hasn't been announced yet, but Renault plans to sell 150,000 units a year of the Zoe Z.E.

As for the Kangoo and Fluence EVs, Renault aims to sell 30,000 to 50,000 units a year of each model.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: Automotive News

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Renault Suspends Managers on Suspicion of Leaking EV Secrets

French carmaker Renault has suspended three senior managers on suspicion of industrial espionage linked to the firm's electric vehicle plans. A company spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday that the three individuals were suspended over unspecified ethical issues.

“In late August 2010, an ethical alert was brought to the attention of the compliance committee," a Renault spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday. "The investigation that followed led to the suspension of three Renault executives”, the spokeswoman added without providing any more details.

On Wednesday, unnamed inside sources told the news agency that all three individuals were in charge of electric vehicles projects, with one of them being a member of a 30-strong panel of executives headed by chief executive Carlos Ghosn.

The three men were required to leave their offices on Monday, but Renault has not yet filled a formal complaint.

The French carmaker plans to launch four electric models by the end of 2012 including the Fluence EV, Kangoo Express EV, Twizy and Zoe. Along with sister-company Nissan, Renault is investing €200 million (about US $263.4 million) a year in the EV programme.

Source: AFP via Yahoo News

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Renault to Produce Electric Fluence Sedan at Bursa Plant in Turkey from 2011

Having already confirmed the production versions of the Twizy and Zoe Z.E. electric concept cars, Renault today announced that the third member of its new family of EVs, the all-electric Fluence sedan, which was also presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September, will be manufactured at the OYAK-Renault Bursa plant in Turkey. The French automaker said that it plans to launch the Fluence EV first in Israel and Denmark, followed by other countries, from the first half of 2011.

Evidently, the electric saloon will be based on the recently launched Fluence sedan, but it is unclear if Renault will spice up the looks of the car in the same way it did with the Frankfurt Show concept model.

Renault said that owners of the electric Fluence will have three battery charge options: standard charge, rapid charge and a 'QuickDrop' battery exchange that allows that removal and replacement of the batteries in a mere three minutes.

We don't have any details on the vehicle's specs yet, but it is safe to assume that the production model will be powered by the same 95HP electric motor found in the concept car.