Manufacturing · Profile from Manufacturing Research Companion: Companies, Strategic Moves, and Technical Studies
Renault Group
The Boulogne-Billancourt carmaker founded by Louis Renault and his brothers at the end of the 1890s (from memory, verify), nationalised in 1945, privatised in the 1990s, partner of Nissan since 1999, and the owner of Dacia — the Romanian brand it turned into Europe's clearest example of a low-cost product worth making. Renault has almost no US business: it left the US market in 1987 when it sold American Motors, and with it Jeep, to Chrysler (from memory, verify) (Stellantis). Its manufacturing story turns on two things that pull against each other: a Dacia model that makes cheap cars profitably by reusing old parts and running low-cost plants in Romania and Morocco, and an alliance with Nissan that gave Renault scale and dividends for two decades, then a leadership crisis after Carlos Ghosn's arrest in Tokyo on 19 Nov 2018, a rebalancing in 2023 and multibillion-euro Nissan-related charges in 2025. Its electric-vehicle unit, Ampere, was created for a listing that never happened (from memory, verify) and was folded back. Since Jul 2025 the chief executive is François Provost, after Luca de Meo left for Kering (reported).
At a glance
- Founded
- 1898–99, Boulogne-Billancourt, by Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault (from memory, verify); nationalised as the Régie Nationale des Usines Renault in Jan 1945 (from memory, verify)
- Headquarters
- Boulogne-Billancourt, France
- Ownership / structure
- Public (Euronext Paris: RNO). The French state is the largest shareholder at ~15% (from memory, verify); Nissan holds ~15% of Renault, and Renault's holding in Nissan was cut toward ~15% under the 2023 agreements (company, reported; current levels verify after 2024–25 sales)
- Leadership (2026)
- François Provost, CEO (named Jul 2025; electrive, reported); Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman (from memory, verify). Luca de Meo, CEO Jul 2020–Jul 2025, left to become CEO of Kering (reported); CFO Duncan Minto was interim CEO from 15 Jul 2025 (reported)
- Brands
- Renault, Dacia, Alpine; Mobilize (mobility services) (from memory, verify); Renault Korea; Horse Powertrain (engine JV with Geely and Aramco — from memory, verify)
- Scale
- FY2025: group operating margin 6.3% (reported, Feb 2026); profit down ~15% on price pressure (reported); H1 2025 net loss ~€11.1bn after Nissan-related charges (reported). H1 2026 (30 Jul 2026): revenue €30.3bn; group operating margin ~€1.6bn, 5.2% (6.0% in H1 2025); automotive operating margin €814m (3.0%); net income €721m (€705m excluding Nissan effects); 2026 guidance ~5.5% group operating margin and ~€1bn automotive free cash flow confirmed (company via press, reported)
- Plants (selected)
- France: Flins (converted to the Refactory recycling and refurbishment site, from memory, verify), Douai, Maubeuge, Ruitz, Cléon (the "ElectriCity" cluster in northern France, from memory, verify), Sandouville, Batilly; Spain: Valladolid, Palencia; Romania: Mioveni (Pitești) (Dacia); Morocco: Tangier and Casablanca; Türkiye: Bursa (Oyak-Renault); Slovenia: Novo Mesto; Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, India (Chennai, with Nissan), Korea (Busan) (all from memory, verify current products)
- Signature moves (incl. failures)
- Nationalisation (1945) and privatisation (1990s); the Renault–Nissan alliance (1999); Dacia's low-cost model (2004–); Ghosn's arrest and the alliance crisis (2018–19); the 2020 state-guaranteed loan and Renaulution; the Russia exit (Avtovaz, 2022); the 2023 alliance rebalancing and Ampere; Ampere's retreat and de Meo's departure (2024–25)
8 strategic moves analysed
Each one gets a full strategy file in the companion: context, the decision, the financing, what happened, and the lesson.
1945
Nationalisation and 1996 Privatisation
State takeover (confiscation and nationalisation), then privatisation in stages
1999
Renault Nissan Alliance
Equity alliance / cross-shareholding / turnaround of a partner
2004
Dacia Logan Low Cost Model
Product and platform launch / low-cost plant strategy / brand repositioning
2018
Ghosn Arrest and Alliance Crisis
Governance failure / leadership change / partner crisis
2020
State Backed Loan and Renaulution
Financing (state-guaranteed loan) / restructuring / strategy plan
2022
Avtovaz Russia Exit
Divestment (forced) / write-down
2023
Alliance Rebalancing and Ampere
Restructuring of an equity alliance / carve-out of an EV unit (planned listing)
2025
Ampere Retreat and de Meo Exit
Strategy reversal (EV carve-out abandoned) / leadership change