Renault hopes to be able to design its own proprietary architecture for its future sports car range and avoid licensing the technology of Geely-controlled Lotus Cars Limited, which was its original plan.
The corresponding statement comes from Bloomberg quoting its own sources. According to it, the relations between the two companies will not deteriorate due to this decision because they have other joint projects running.
Renault and Lotus announced their cooperation as a part of the former company’s Renolution development strategy a couple of years ago. Among other things, the French corporation asked the British sports car maker to provide it with the necessary technology to produce an all-new electric sports car. This EV was meant to replace the mid-engined A110 coupe. The strategy was later revised and the launch date pushed back to 2026.
According to the recent reports, Renault ultimately reasoned that it could design an EV architecture on its own. The company’s engineering department allegedly already has all the experience necessary to sever the contract with Alpine. Speaking with the media, an Alpine representative said that talks with Lotus were still underway and that the final decision would be announced separately.