Beijing (AFP)

Chinese automaker Geely (parent company of Volvo Cars) announced on Monday that it was teaming up with French Renault in the cars of the future.

In China, the two companies "will jointly develop hybrid models of the Renault brand with advanced technologies" from Geely, the Chinese group said in a short statement.

The cooperation will also focus in South Korea on energy saving and the production of specific models for the South Korean market of the Lynk & Co brand, owned by Geely.

Geely is one of the leading Chinese vehicle manufacturers.

In 2010, he bought the automotive branch of Volvo.

China, the world's largest automobile market, is at the forefront of the race for the vehicle of the future, thanks to an ultra-connected population and an incentive policy from Beijing.

Builders are competing to take advantage of this opportunity.

Already in January, Geely announced an alliance in electric vehicles with Taiwanese giant Foxconn, the world's largest assembler of electronic devices.

Foxconn is a subcontractor of Apple in China and notably manufactures iPhone there.

Geely also has an agreement with Chinese internet giant Baidu to manufacture driverless electric cars.

Renault has very little presence on the Chinese market: it sold only 13,800 vehicles in the first half of 2021, including utility vehicles through its joint venture with local manufacturer Jinbei.

Renault General Manager Luca de Meo in front of the manufacturer's logo, in Villamuriel, Spain, March 23, 2021 Cesar Manso AFP

The diamond brand, which had shown enormous ambitions in China under the leadership of ex-CEO Carlos Ghosn, has never broken through with its Koleos and Kadjar SUVs.

And the brand revised its strategy in early 2020.

Renault has appointed a new CEO for China this year, Soh Weiming, whose mission is to focus on developing sales of electric and hybrid vehicles.

"It is a very important market. They are ahead of Europe in many areas, whether for electric vehicles, connectivity or autonomous driving", indicated in June the general manager of the Renault group, Luca de Meo.

"You have to be there to know what's going on there," he told Les Echos newspaper.

China, which seeks to reduce its polluting emissions and its dependence on foreign oil, aims to sell around 25% of electric or hybrid vehicles by 2025.

© 2021 AFP