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Ambitions of Ampere

Ampere is an autonomous company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets electric passenger cars under the Renault brand in Europe. Ampere’s ambition is to reach a double-digit market share by 2031. On Nov. 1, 2023, the divestiture of Ampere was successfully completed. From Day 1, Ampere has 11,000 employees, 35% of them engineers, focused on EV and software technologies.

Focus on B- and C-segment

As a leader in medium and compact cars in Europe, Renault Group – and thus Ampere – is well positioned to target the B and C segments, which together are expected to account for 75% of the European EV market by 2030.

These segments are expected to grow at about 25% CAGR between 2023 and 2030. To seize this opportunity, Ampere aims to democratize EVs in Europe by achieving EV/ICE price parity ahead of competition in the B and C segments.

Two EV-native platforms

Ampere already has a major competitive advantage with its two EV-native platforms that are cost-effective in design and fit for purpose:

• AmpR Small platform for the B segment (formerly CMF-B EV)
• AmpR Medium platform for the C-segment (formerly CMF-EV)

By 2027/2028, Ampere aims to reduce variable costs between first- and second-generation C-segment electric vehicles by 40%, following a continuous trajectory, along three main pillars:

• EV powertrain (battery and e-powertrain):
• 50% reduction in battery cost per vehicle while maintaining range
• 25% reudction of e-powertrain cost per vehicle

Vehicle (platform and upper body):

• 25% reduction in platform cost per vehicle
• 15% reduction in upper body cost per vehicle

In the B-segment, Ampere will start with Renault 5 in 2024 and Renault 4 in 2025 (starting price Renault 5 around €25,000). There will also be a “Legend,” a new electric car under €20,000.

Renault 5

Unveiled in the first quarter of 2024, the Renault 5 is the rebirth of an iconic model already recognized by the press and social media. The Renault 5 will offer a range of up to 400 km for an entry-level price of about €25,000, competing with B-segment hybrid cars. The car will be equipped with the Reno avatar, a virtual co-pilot brimming with artificial intelligence that learns from its users every day to better anticipate and respond to their needs.

Renault 4

Launched in 2025, the Renault 4 represents the reinterpretation of a universal car for the electric age. It will be a car with maximum versatility, capitalizing on the winning ingredients of the Renault 5, such as the AmpR Small platform and infotainment.

Legend

The “Legend” will be presented on Nov. 15, 2023. It is a city vehicle without compromise: best-in-class efficiency at just 10 kWh/100 km, 75% lower CO₂ emissions than the average European ICE car sold in 2023 during its life cycle, and lower resource consumption thanks to its compact size. The car, made in Europe, will have a starting price of less than €20,000 (before subsidies).

Two additional models

This offering will be expanded by two additional cars for the second generation, making a total of seven vehicles by 2031. Ampere expects to sell about 300,000 vehicles by 2025. By 2031, Ampere expects to sell about 1 million vehicles, reaching a market share of about 10%.

Mitsubishi Motors and Nissan

In addition to developing its own range, Ampere is also designed as a technological, production and business platform that serves brands other than Renault, thanks to the flexibility of its production lines and the modularity of its two platforms. Ampere will produce at least two models for Alpine, the next Micra for Nissan and another model for Mitsubishi Motors. Ampere will also support Dacia’s electrification journey and provide software solutions for the entire Renault Group.

Software-defined vehicle technology (SDV).

By shifting to a centralized electronic architecture, connection to the cloud and strong computing and connectivity capabilities, SDV enables the permanent upgradeability of the car. It also significantly reduces chip costs, increases the residual value of the car, and creates stronger customer loyalty.

From Day 1, Ampere can rely on 1,800 leading talents in software and systems engineering, representing 50% of the total technical workforce. These engineers – from the 2017 Intel Europe acquisition – have strong expertise and are facilitating development along with top technology players, Qualcomm Technologies and Google.

Ampere’s team worked with Google to develop a solution called OpenR Link. This can already be found in the Megane E-tech and Scenic E-tech. With this open approach, Ampere gets the best of both worlds: it retains ownership of IP and automotive data in Europe while benefiting from an environment that ensures it gives its customers access to the ever-expanding universe of apps accessible through Google.

This horizontal approach allows Ampere to save time and costs and reduce execution risk. Besides sharing investment and securing competitive costs, it reduces development time by 50%, bringing development costs on par with Chinese players and up to half of Western OEMs.

The first SDV is expected to hit the market in 2026.