Renault Douai production rises toward 1,400 cars per day

© media.renault.com

Renault's Douai plant is returning to a full three-shift, round-the-clock schedule. Around 350 additional temporary workers have been hired to staff the night shift. Europe 1 points to the Renault 5 E-Tech as the main driver: nearly 27,000 units were registered in France from January through August.

The scale-up is clear compared with the previous setup. Renault had earlier reported about 900 vehicles a day when the night shift was operating at only half capacity. The new target is around 1,200 cars per day, while a representative of the FO union says the rate could rise to 1,300–1,400. That would add roughly 300–500 vehicles to Douai's previous daily output.

It would be wrong to attribute all the increase to the R5. Renault Group confirms that six EVs share the same Douai line: Renault 5, Mégane E-Tech and Scénic E-Tech, Alpine A290, Nissan Micra and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. The extra shift therefore expands capacity for several brands at once. The recently updated Mégane E-Tech moved to a simplified range with one battery and one motor, while unofficial reports say new 44 and 56 kWh LFP batteries are being discussed for the Renault 5.

The acceleration is not just about production statistics. The source material says lead times for some R5 configurations already extend into early 2027; at the end of September, French service Delais.fr also shows January 2027 as the estimated delivery for a new order, with an average wait of about three months based on user reports.

For Douai, this marks a notable reversal: Renault first brought back the night shift at half capacity, is now staffing it fully and is once again running the plant continuously across three shifts. The next threshold is already clear — 1,400 vehicles a day if current demand holds.