Renault and Bolloré have formed a partnership for the assembly and promotion of electric vehicles.
The agreement, which follows on from a letter of intent signed in September 2013, will see Renault assemble Bluecar electric vehicles for Bolloré Group from the second half of 2015.
The companies have also entered into a joint venture to initiate a car-sharing initiative in Europe.
“The Bolloré Group has commissioned Renault…to gradually take over assembly of the Bluecar, formerly built solely in Italy,” according to a press release issued by the French manufacturer.
“The vehicles will be assembled at the Renault plant in Dieppe (France) from the second half of 2014. For the Dieppe plant, this decision is an acknowledgement of its expertise and a promise for its future activity,” added Renault.
Renault’s Dieppe plant specialises in building vehicles in small series. It currently builds Clio IV R.S. models, and is set to build the Alpine in the future.
The joint venture, meanwhile, will see Renault and Bolloré bid for and install electric car-sharing infrastructure across Europe. Renault will hold a 30% interest in the joint venture and Bolloré, the remainder.
As part of the agreement, Bolloré has asked Renault to conduct a feasibility survey on the design, development, and production of a smaller version of the existing Bluecar. It is hoped that in addition to supporting car-sharing initiatives, a three-seater model would appeal to consumers, commercial operations, and municipalities.