Like many automakers, Renault’s business is still hampered by the global shortage of electronic components. The diamond brand has just confirmed the suspension of production of the Renault Zoé at the Flins plant, for lack of parts.
For more than 2 years now, car manufacturers around the world have had to deal with a global shortage of electronic components such as semiconductors. Faced with this unprecedented situation, some brands have taken radical decisions, like Toyota, which has chosen to halve its production on a global scale by 40%.
At Renault, the response was a price increase. In June 2022, the prices of the various models of the Zoé were all revised upwards (between 600 and 900 € on average). The price of the Mégane E-Tech also rose at the end of 2022 by €1,800.
However, we have just learned very bad news from the French manufacturer. Indeed, Renault has just announced the suspension of Zoé production at the Flins plant (in the Yvelines). Specifically, manufacturing will be halted for three weeks in June and for two additional days in July.
Renault suspends production of the Zoé, due to lack of parts
The reason ? Again and again from electronic component supply difficulties and semiconductors. “The 355 people who work on the Zoé flow are affected by unemployment in APLD (long-term partial activity) due to the lack of documents”, confirmed Fabien Gloagen, Force Ouvrière Renault Group union representative to AFP.
“Due to a lack of electronic components, the bodywork flow (assembly, painting, sheet metal) and the associated support functions will not work except personnel designated by the hierarchy”. for its part announced the CFDT union of Renault Flins on Facebook.
So, no Zoé will leave the production lines the weeks of Monday June 5, June 12, June 26 as well as July 3 and 4. Be that as it may, this situation is a new blow for the end of Zoé’s career.
For good reason, for several months, sales of Renault’s flagship electric city car plummet. Between January and May, only 3,422 copies found buyers in France, which represents a drop of 44% compared to the figures recorded over the same period the previous year. Let us remember, however, that the Flins plant is doomed to completely abandon the production of new electric cars for focus solely on the reconditioning of used vehicles from 2024.