A merger between Renault and the Stellantis group (which owns Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat, among others)? This will not happen according to the French State (Renault shareholder), which continues to have confidence in the manufacturer thanks to its numerous partnerships.
We didn’t tell you about it until this morning: the crazy rumor of a merger between Renault and the sprawling Stellantis group (house of 14 different automobile brands, including Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, Jeep, DS and even Maserati) , announced by an Italian newspaper.
A rumor which is surprising (and perhaps a little worrying)… but which clearly will not take place, according to Automotive News Europewhich cites a source close to the French Ministry of the Economy.
A short summary
To make it short, the Italian daily Il Messaggero announced a few days ago the study by the French government of a huge merger between the two national automobile groups, Renault and Stellantis, with the aim of being more competitive in the field of electric cars – an environment which must facing the Chinese surge on one side (notably driven by BYD) and Tesla on the other.
A rumor which could raise a certain number of questions in terms of maintaining factories and payroll in Europe, and which was quickly denied by the president of Stellantis. The French State, which owns 15% of the shares of Renault (making it the largest shareholder of the brand) and 6.1% of the shares of Stellantis, has in turn contradicted this information.
Confidence in Renault
Far from a desire for a merger, the government seems on the contrary to have complete confidence in Renault – more particularly in its partnership strategy.
The French brand is known for its alliance with Nissan (and Mitsubishi more recently), but its famous action plan, called “Renaulution”, has opened the doors to many other players: let us cite Google (since the latest models, like the Mégane E-Tech or the Scénic E-Tech have Android Automotive) or even Qualcomm.
Renault also created the “Ampère” division at the end of 2023, solely dedicated to the development of its electric range, also with a strong connotation software. Ambition: to produce successful and affordable electric cars, at least at the level of a thermal equivalent. The future electric Twingo, expected to cost 20,000 euros in 2026, is a good example.
In short, a simple rumor which should have no future, but which shows that nothing is ever established in the small world of automobiles.