Attention, trick question. Luca de Meo, boss of Losange, has reorganized the Renault group into four “business units”, clearly four brands. There are Renault, Dacia (with Lada) and Alpine. But the last one? This is Mobilize. This means nothing to you ? Normal, it’s a label that has just been created. It is dedicated to new forms of mobility, a new area on which manufacturers are starting to fight, aware that the use and purchase of cars are changing rapidly.
At the Viva Technology trade fair in Paris, the manufacturer formalized the names of a range of products for Mobilize, with three vehicles… which will not be available for purchase. These are models designed for shared mobility, obviously all electric in order to be able to survey metropolises which will increasingly ban thermal energy.
As its name suggests, the Mobilize Duo (so don’t say Renault!) Will be a small machine for two. It is quite simply the succession of the Twizy, in an improved formula, with a closed body. It is built for carsharing. Renault indicates that it will incorporate 50% recycled materials in its manufacture. It will also itself be 95% recyclable in the new Flins Re-Factory.
The Mobilize Bento is a vehicle designed for the delivery and transport of space-saving objects. It is based on the Duo and will be fitted with a loading box with a maximum volume of 1 m3. It will thus be suitable for craftsmen and deliverers of small items, the quantities of which are constantly increasing with e-commerce. With this in mind, Citroën has also just launched a Cargo variant of the Friend.
Above, there will be the Hippo, a small modular utility designed for last mile delivery. It will be equipped with interchangeable loading modules (refrigerated transport, packages, etc.). It will have up to 3 m3 of volume. However, the manufacturer has not yet given the launch date of these vehicles.
Renault is also taking advantage of the creation of Mobilize to rename the services it already offered. The Zity car-sharing system, which has 500 vehicles in Paris, becomes Zity by Mobilize. The service will be rolled out in new cities in 2021. Rental from a Renault Mobility agency becomes Mobilize Share, with rentals for one hour, one day, one month. The models, from the whole range, are always available.
At Viva Technology, Mobilize also announced the signing of an agreement with Betteries, a German start-up specializing in the reuse of electric car batteries. It uses it to design transportable electric generators that can be used for multiple purposes, such as on construction sites or in food trucks. Renault announces that the production of this system will begin at the start of the school year at its Flins plant.
