In case you didn’t know, the French manufacturer is the owner of Avtovaz, better known as Lada. He started investing in 2008 and became the main shareholder in 2017. Lada is number 1 in his country and sales represent 18% of Renault’s turnover. Russia is also for the group the second country just after France. Under pressure no doubt from the State shareholder, which is present in the capital up to 15%, the board of directors has therefore taken the decision to suspend its activities in Russia. The activities of the Renault factory in Moscow have therefore been stopped. The Group is also evaluating the possible options regarding its stake in Avtovaz. The other shareholder is Rostec, a group which manufactures weapons and which is directed by an oligarch, close to Vladimir Putin. Renault wishes to act responsibly towards its 45,000 employees in Russia.
Nissan presents its new models for Europe
Renault’s Japanese ally has decided not to invest in the future Euro 7 standard for passenger cars. This means, concretely, that Nissan will no longer introduce any new passenger cars equipped exclusively with an internal combustion engine in Europe, from 2023. The answer is a new electrified range, made up of six models, which will arrive this summer. There will be 3 hybrids, non-rechargeable, and 3 others which will be 100% electric. On the hybrid side, the models concerned are the Juke, the Qashqai and the X-Trail. For electric, next to the Leaf and the new SUV Ariya, Nissan also plans to launch a utility, the Townstar which claims 300 km of autonomy.
We talk a bit about Tesla…
And first, a few words about the whimsical boss of the brand. Elon Musk, who doubts nothing, offered Vladimir Putin to challenge him to single combat. A duel whose stake would be Ukraine. The tweet was widely relayed. But, it also elicited a response. The President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov – an unwavering supporter of the Kremlin – advised him against doing this. In essence, he wrote to her that he did not have Putin’s strength. He even advises Musk to come and train in his country to fight, and in particular at the Russian special forces university. Kadyrov also offers to teach him how to maintain his social networks.
Tesla still in the news, but for its cars this time.
The American brand is finally releasing the first models from its factory in Berlin, Germany. These are Model Y SUVs which are intended for Belgian customers. Tesla’s gigafactory ran into a lot of trouble as environmentalists protested deforestation and the environmental impact of the factory, which spans 300 hectares. The site, which employs 3,000 people, will eventually accommodate 12,000 to produce cars, battery cells, electric motors, plastic components, seats and axles, among other things. The Berlin plant has a potential production capacity of 500,000 Model Ys and up to 50 GWh of battery per year