Renault's chief executive, François Provost, asserted at the FT's Future of the Car conference that the automaker's European manufacturing outperforms Chinese rivals in efficiency. He dismissed calls to share factories, emphasizing a strategy to develop all European models in under 24 months. 'I think our manufacturing capabilities are among the best in the world,' he stated, 'even better than our Chinese competitors.'

Provost acknowledged Renault is 'catching up' on R&D speed and innovation, areas where Chinese entrants excel. The company leverages Chinese supply chains for cost but maintains European engineering for European cars. Despite cutting up to 20% of its global engineering workforce, he pledged no reduction in European engineering staff, calling it a 'transformation' toward leaner processes.

While rivals like Stellantis seek partnerships to fill underused plants, Provost noted Renault's European facilities run at 85% capacity with 'no idle capacity.' He ruled out broader alliances, preferring project-specific deals. The longstanding Renault-Nissan alliance remains pivotal, with Nissan open to expanding co-development for Europe, though no new talks are underway.