Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre India in Chennai. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Renault Group on Friday (August 1, 2025) said it has acquired Nissan’s remaining 51% stake in their joint plant in Chennai (Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd – “RNAIPL”), thus becoming its sole owner.
Meanwhile, Stéphane Deblaise is appointed as chief executive officer of Renault Group in India, effective September 1, 2025.
Renault Group now fully owns its Chennai plant and the strategic move strengthens the group’s ambition to make India a key pillar of its international growth, the company said in a statement.
Renault Group also relies on an engineering center based in India, jointly owned with Nissan, which plays an active role in developing and adapting vehicles to meet the needs of both local and international markets.
The cooperation with Nissan will continue in this new context. In particular, RNAIPL will keep producing Nissan models as planned, it said.
“With full ownership of our plant in Chennai, we now have all the means to accelerate in India. Stéphane Deblaise, with his strong international experience and deep knowledge across our entire value chain, is ideally positioned to design and implement our strategy in the region.”, said François Provost, CEO Renault Group.
Stéphane Deblaise joined Renault Group in 2000 and has held several strategic positions within the Group’s international operations.
Stéphane will build on the expertise he developed in South Korea since 2022, where he led a major transformation of the business — notably by positioning the Busan site as an industrial and technological hub and repositioning the Renault brand in the Korean market, the company said.
As part of its International Game Plan 2027 strategy, the Renault brand is accelerating its expansion in India, a fast-growing market, where more than 50% of the population is under the age of 28, the statement said.
As the world’s third-largest automotive market, India stands out as a crucial territory — a driver of innovation, a source of inspiration for new generations, and a major player in the transformation of the automotive sector, it added.
Since its launch in 2010, the Chennai plant has produced over 2.8 million vehicles — including 1.2 million exported to more than 100 countries — as well as 4.6 million engines and gearboxes. Supported by an ecosystem of nearly 300 local suppliers, the plant has an annual production capacity of over 400,000 vehicles.
The Renault brand is established in India with more than 350 sales outlets and 450 service points across the country.
Published – August 01, 2025 05:20 pm IST
