Every auto expo is defined by the types of products that are showcased across its pavilions – pure design studies or concepts pointing towards the future or even models that are set to go into production. And the buzz at one of the first shows of the global fall season, the ongoing Mondial De L’Automobile Paris (or the Paris Motor Show) 2016 has been all about electric cars.
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has now relayed this wave of electrification from Europe to India by announcing that the company’s Chennai R&D facility would play host to develop affordable electric cars for China.
Speaking at the Paris Motor Show, Ghosn said that India is yet to completely embrace the idea of electric cars on a large scale, thus the personnel and resources at the development facility in Chennai will be directed towards the thriving Chinese electric car market.
“Electric car is going to be part of the future of our industry. We will develop low-cost electric cars based on knowledge coming out of India, but deploy it in China, because that is where the market exists,” Ghosn told the Economic Times.
“The Chinese market is booming, and we are losing our leadership to a number of local players, who are coming out with cheap electric cars,” Ghosn said, and added, “So we are working towards bringing in our own affordable electric cars for the Chinese market to make sure we don’t end up being overwhelmed with what’s coming in.”
Having invested lakhs of crores in the enhancement of its electric car technology, the French carmaker debuted a ridiculously slick-looking all-electric Grand Tourer concept in the form of the Renault Trezor at its pavilions in the Porte de Versailles. Surprisingly, it also doubled the range on Europe’s best-selling electric car, the Renault Zoe, to 240km (150 miles) in real-world usage during the course of the show.
