Volkswagen and Renault have never made it known that they are talking about a joint entry-level electric car. But now an insider has revealed: the talks have failed.
The German-French friendship probably didn’t go far enough after all. In the end, it was not possible to find a common solution, said a person familiar with the process, according to Reuters. The negotiations were well advanced, another insider said on Friday. VW ultimately withdrew and wanted to develop the vehicle alone. A spokeswoman for Renault’s Ampere electric car division and a VW spokesman declined to comment on the outcome of the talks. There are various options, said the VW spokesman. A decision on the entry-level electric car has not yet been made. The VW is still coming. However, it is expected that Volkswagen will make a decision in the coming weeks: At the annual press conference, VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer promised an entry-level electric car in the range of around 20,000 euros by 2027 and said that various options were being examined. The development of a car usually takes around three years. Renault has announced its electric small car Twingo for 2026. The company has repeatedly emphasized that it can build the Twingo on its own and does not necessarily need a partner. An insider said that Renault would remain open to other partners even after talks with VW ended, such as the alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi.
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