Production of ZOE, the flagship of Renault’s electric vehicle range, started at the end of 2012 on the same production lines as New Clio and Clio Collection. The industrial development of ZOE was a tough challenge for Flins, but the plant succeeded in launching the series production of two very different and strategically important vehicles for the company, ZOE and New Clio, at the same site and in the same year. The people at Renault showed outstanding ingenuity to minimize changes to production resources and cope with the specific demands of electric ZOE in the manufacturing process in a totally fluid manner. The production processes of the ZOE and New Clio body shells are so similar that it takes a carefully trained eye to spot the differences between the two.

Arnaud Montebourg, France’s Minister of Industrial Renewal, paid a visit to Renault’s Flins plant yesterday. He was welcomed by Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn, who is also Chairman and CEO of the Renault group.