Renault goes on China hiring spree to bolster EV push at home
‘We are there to learn and we will integrate this knowledge into our own teams,’ in France, an officer says
Renault SA is trying to strengthen its electric-vehicle (EV) business at a time of flagging demand by building up its footprint in a country where it does not even sell cars – China.
The French carmaker is turning to one of the few markets where battery-powered cars are selling well to access new technology and learn how to make EVs faster. The company has hired some 200 people in Shanghai, mainly hardware engineers working on the development of a sub-€20,000 (US$21,106) electric Twingo, and also plans to add software engineers, according to people familiar with the situation.
“We are there to learn and we will integrate this knowledge into our own teams,” in France, Francois Provost, Renault’s chief procurement, partnerships and public affairs officer, said in an interview.
Expanding in China is a sensitive subject in France, where some unions are pushing back against management efforts to raise efficiencies via measures including limiting remote work to 2.5 days per week. Renault’s decision to develop much of its new Twingo in China has been criticised internally, and the manufacturer also employs about 3,000 engineers in India.