Renault-Geely partnership turns industrial as Curitiba plant adds GEA platform and three new models
Renault's Ayrton Senna complex in Curitiba has integrated Geely's GEA platform and will build two Geely models by the end of 2026, followed by a new Renault from 2027.
- 194,915
- 5,120
- more than 300,000
- 5
What Happened
Announced in 2025, the partnership between Renault Group and Geely has now entered its industrial phase at the Curitiba plant in Brazil's Paraná state. The Ayrton Senna complex has already integrated the GEA platform, Geely's Global Intelligent Electric Architecture for next-generation electrified vehicles, making it the fifth platform used at the site. That integration clears the way for three successive vehicle launches: the Geely EX5 EM-i Super Hybrid, whose industrialisation is already underway, the fully electric Geely EX2 at the end of the year, and a new Renault model from 2027. Renault Group says it produces more than 300,000 vehicles a year for partners across eight plants in five countries, for Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ford, Volvo Trucks and Geely, from Douai to Curitiba and Busan.
The Ayrton Senna complex is inaugurated in Curitiba; it has since produced more than four million vehicles.
Renault Group and Geely announce their partnership, which now moves into its industrial phase at Curitiba.
The 100% electric Geely EX2 is due to follow the Geely EX5 EM-i Super Hybrid on the plant's lines.
Production begins of a new Renault vehicle developed on the GEA platform.
- Four: CMF-A, RGMP, B0+ and LCV
- Five, adding Geely's GEA
- Six Renault models: Kwid, Kardian, Boreal, Duster, Oroch, Master
- New robots added in the body shop
- Paint processes upgraded
- Assembly lines extended
- Latest-generation ADAS validation equipment installed
194,915
Six Renault models were in production at the site that year.
Even before the GEA integration, the site was producing six Renault models based on four different platforms, and its lines can assemble flex-fuel internal combustion, hybrid, flex hybrid and fully electric powertrains side by side. To accommodate the new architecture, teams added new robots in the body shop, upgraded paint processes, extended assembly lines and installed latest-generation ADAS validation equipment. The operation rests on a digital transformation built on the industrial metaverse, digital twins and the analysis of several billion measurements from equipment and processes every day. That work earned the complex international recognition from the World Economic Forum as an 'Advanced 4th Industrial Revolution Lighthouse', a distinction Renault says no other automotive plant in Latin America holds.
The plant's industrial strategy also carries environmental commitments. Since 2023 all its industrial activities have been powered by renewable solar electricity from a photovoltaic park, avoiding more than 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, while biomass derived from wood waste avoids nearly 1,000 additional tonnes annually. Gradually replacing LPG forklifts with electric equipment cut LPG consumption by 80% between 2021 and 2025, and 100% of industrial waste is recovered through recycling, reuse or energy recovery. The site also preserves nearly 900,000 m² of Atlantic Forest and supports skills development and inclusion in local communities through initiatives led by the Renault Institute.
Previously from Renault
Earlier coverage reported that Renault and Geely's Brazilian joint venture would spend another R$ 2 billion at São José dos Pinhais, lifting the partnership's planned 2025-2027 investment total to R$ 5.8 billion. Today's story shows that cooperation moving from announced investment to production on the Curitiba plant's lines.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Renault's official releases.
Why this matters
The Curitiba complex is the clearest example yet of Renault's strategy of growing through industrial partnerships: its existing lines are being adapted to build Geely-badged vehicles alongside Renaults. That matters for the plant's 5,120 workers and for Brazilian buyers, who will get hybrid and electric models built locally alongside the flex-fuel vehicles the site already produces.
Terms in This Story
- GEA platform
- Geely's Global Intelligent Electric Architecture, described as the company's reference architecture for next-generation electrified vehicles.
- Flex-fuel
- A powertrain able to run on more than one type of fuel, typically petrol and ethanol.
- Industrial metaverse
- The use of connected virtual models and simulations to run and improve manufacturing operations.
- ADAS
- Advanced driver assistance systems: technologies such as driving aids that support the driver.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.