Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company (DRAC) or Dongfeng Renault was an equally owned Chinese joint venture between car manufacturers Dongfeng Motor Group and Renault aimed to produce and sell Renault-badged vehicles, established in 2013. The joint venture emerged from Sanjiang Renault, a previous partnership between Renault and Sanjiang Space established in 1993. Renault announced it planned to withdraw from the joint venture in April 2020.
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| Company type | Joint venture | ||||||||||||||||
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| Industry | Automotive | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Sanjiang Renault Automotive Company | ||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1993 (as Sanjiang Renault) 16 December 2013 (as Dongfeng Renault) | ||||||||||||||||
| Defunct | 28 August 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Dongfeng Motor (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. | ||||||||||||||||
| Headquarters | , China | ||||||||||||||||
Area served | China | ||||||||||||||||
Key people | Ge Shuwen (President)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Products | Automobiles | ||||||||||||||||
Production output |  47,769 (2018)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Dongfeng Motor Group (50%) Renault S.A. (50%) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 东风雷诺汽车有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 東風雷諾汽車有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Dongfeng Renault | |||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 东风雷诺 | ||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 東風雷諾 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||
History
Sanjiang Renault
In 1993, Renault and Sanjiang Space Group established a manufacturing joint venture at Xiaogan called Sanjiang Renault Automotive Company (Chinese: 三江雷诺汽车有限公司).[3][4] Renault had a 45% stake in the company while Sanjiang had 55%.[5] In 1995, the company started assembling Renault Trafics. The partnership proved unsuccessful,[5] and Sanjiang Renault only assembled 4,906 units[4] before it halted production in 2003[3] or 2004.[5]
Dongfeng Renault
Talks with Dongfeng began in 2004[5] or 2003[3] around the same time production halted at the failed Sanjiang-Renault partnership. As part of Dongfeng's agreements with Nissan, the three companies agreed to create eventually a so-called "golden triangle" of three-way collaboration.[5] In June 2013, Dongfeng acquired the 55% stake in Sanjiang Renault from its erstwhile Chinese partner renaming the legal entity Dongfeng Renault Automobile Company.[3] Renault signed on to the creation of an equally owned joint venture on 16 December 2013 after gaining final approval from the Chinese government.[6]
Dongfeng Renault sold only 18,607 cars in 2019 and reported an operating loss of more than 1.5 billion yuan ($212 million).[7] In April 2020, following poor sales, Renault announced that it would concentrate on commercial and electric vehicles for the Chinese market.[8] In August 2020, the Dongfeng Renault venture was officially dissolved and Renault transferred its stake to Dongfeng. The operations were renamed as Dongfeng Motor (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.[9]
Operations
Dongfeng Renault was in charge of Renault's China sales. The Dongfeng Renault plant was built at Wuhan and started production in February 2016. It had an estimated output of up to 150,000 vehicles per year.[10] The Renault's Wuhan facilities also included an engine workshop and a research and development centre.[10]Production focused on sport utility vehicles (SUVs).[6]
Produced models
- Renault Koleos (2016–2020)[11]
- Renault Kadjar (2016–2020)[10]
- Renault City K-ZE (2019-2020)[12]
- Renault Captur (2019-2020)
Imported models
- Renault Fluence (2010-2018)
- Renault Latitude (2010-2018)
- Renault Talisman (2012-2017)
- Renault Koleos (2010-2016)
- Renault Captur (2013-2019)
- Renault Megane R.S. (2013-2018)
- Renault Espace (2018-2020)
Gallery
Renault Koleos
Renault Kadjar
Renault City K-ZE
