The state will be " very vigilant about preserving jobs and industrial sites in France ", after the announcement last week that Renault could cut factories as part of a savings plan, said on Tuesday French Minister for the Economy Bruno Le Maire.
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" The State will play its full role, as a reference shareholder at Renault, to ensure that the choices that are made are not made to the detriment of employment or industrial sites ", insisted the Minister on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.
These statements are part of a difficult context for the automaker, in which the State is a 15% shareholder. Friday, Clotilde Delbos, the caretaker's acting director, announced that she had "no taboos" regarding the possible closure of factories in France. Shaken by the Ghosn affair and weakened by the changes underway in the automotive industry, the group recorded a net loss of 141 million euros in 2019, a first since 2009. For 2020, Renault is not more optimistic , and plans to further decrease its profitability. Forecasts confirmed by the figures for January: the group (which includes Alpine, Dacia, Lada) recorded deliveries down 16.3%.
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Bruno Le Maire said he called on Sunday the president of Renault, Jean-Dominique Senard, who arrived a year ago. " We are perfectly aware of the difficulties that Renault has to face, " assured the minister, citing in particular " absolutely considerable challenges with the electric vehicle and the connected vehicle ". “ That Renault needs to adapt of course. That there is a need for an industrial strategy for the Renault-Nissan alliance (...) of course. But we have to start a dialogue, "he said." It doesn't mean refusing any development. It means looking at what is most relevant, what best protects employment, "he concluded.
