Hyperdrive
Renault’s Made-in-China Electric SUV Stirs Labor Unrest at Home
- French carmaker’s Dacia Spring to be produced at Shiyan plant
- Model is one of several Chinese imports planned for Europe
Renault will make the Spring electric automobile in Shiyan, China.
Photographer: Benjamin Girette/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Renault SA unions are raising hackles about the French carmaker producing a new electric mini-SUV in China and selling it in Europe, a clash that could become more common given how many companies have similar plans.
Labor groups are assailing Renault for exporting the Dacia Spring -- a small crossover the automaker bills as Europe’s cheapest electric vehicle -- to Europe from a plant in central China’s Hubei province. Workers have been on edge about a jobs-cutting plan the company announced just before it secured a state-backed loan in June.