Mercedes Benz Group, a longtime partner of Renault in vans, won't take part in the French company's FlexEvan electric project and will instead focus on its own premium electric vehicle VAN.EA, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
FlexEvan, which is due to launch in 2026, is being developed for the Renault and Nissan marques and sources say it could also be joined by Renault Trucks, a brand owned by Sweden's Volvo.
Mercedes spokeswoman Mercedes said the company had no plan to launch a mid-sized van or a large one on a different platform than VAN.EA. Renault said it did not comment on the situation.
Following the collapse of demand for the diesel engines, Renault had been selling to its German partner and the end of a joint project on Twingo-Smart cars, Renault and Mercedes only have one common project together - the small Citan van, whose first electric version is being launched. Renault has long sought to broaden its cooperation in vans with Mercedes, but in vain. It is true that for light commercial vehicles, the bulk of the cooperation has been done with Mercedes, said one of the sources. Under the leadership of Luca de Meo, Renault has been expanding relationships beyond the scope of its historic alliances with Nissan and Daimler, both of which were championed by his predecessor Carlos Ghosn. No concrete project between Renault and Mercedes is actively being studied, the third source said, adding that new incentive programs such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and similar European measures could, however, lead to the two cooperating on the sharing of manufacturing facilities.