Renault’s Affordable EV Push to Crimp Returns This Year

Renault SA expects profitability to decline this year as the automaker rolls out lower-priced electric models including the Twingo and grapples with rising competition in Europe.

The French manufacturer sees an operating margin of around 5.5%, it said Thursday. That’s below analyst projections and compares with 6.3% last year. Renault, which plans to expand in Latin America and Asia, proposed a flat dividend of €2.20 ($2.59) a share.