On Monday, Renault provided further information on the new software architecture of its next cars, which the company claims will be comparable to Tesla Inc.’s by 2026.
Like other manufacturers, the French automaker has spent months dreading frequent and significant price reductions from its American rival. The stated price of the Tesla Model 3 now begins in France at around 42,000 euros ($46,318), the same as the electric Renault Mégane.
Although Tesla continues to be a “challenge in the short term,” according to Renault CEO Luca de Meo, his business will not participate in a pricing war on electric cars.
Renault’s chief of engineering, Gilles Le Borgne, told reporters and analysts at the same event, “We don’t want to do what we did in the past, we want to sell our vehicles, we don’t want to give away our automobiles.
The core of Renault’s next electric vehicle entity, “Ampere,” will be a “software-defined vehicle” design, according to the French carmaker. It was created in collaboration with Qualcomm Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and it would greatly simplify things by letting a vehicle to operate with only 20 processors instead of the present need of 100.
Additionally, this will make it possible to remotely update software without modifying the hardware.
Frédéric Vincent, chief digital officer of Renault, stated, “This is identical with Tesla; they will have the same approach, they have the same EV architectural approach, in 2026.
In terms of software defined cars, “we will be at the level of Tesla in 2026,” le Borgne said.
Le Borgne said that even with the investment needed for the new design and the cost of the more expensive processors installed, the overall cost balance should still be neutral.
Around mid-2026, the “Flexevan” electric van program for last-mile delivery will launch Renault’s new architecture, followed by the sporty Alpine brand and other Renault-branded vehicles.