Flexis SAS is the joint venture that plans to launch a family of light commercial electric vehicles in 2026 using a specially designed 800-volt skateboard platform.
The joint venture between Renault Group and Volvo Group was announced in October of last year. The role of the French logistics company CMA CGM Group was undefined at that time, but now it has been clarified: Renault Group and Volvo Group each own 45% of Flexis SAS, while CMA CGM owns the remaining 10%. Renault Group and Volvo Group have committed to invest 300 million euros each into the new joint venture by 2026, while CMA CGM will invest 120 million euros.
Volvo Group should not be confused with Volvo Cars. Volvo Cars is a company that produces passenger cars and is currently owned by the Chinese holding company Geely. Volvo Group, on the other hand, is an independent company with a complex ownership structure, with Swedish companies led by Industrivärden holding 63% of Volvo Group’s shares, with Geely also holding a 6.8% stake. Volvo Group includes dozens of subsidiary companies in various sectors, including Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, and Mack Trucks.
Volvo Group has not previously produced light or electric vans (although it has been involved in the development of the LEVC van). Meanwhile, Renault’s current range of electric vans consists of conversion models based on traditional fuel sources. Flexis SAS will introduce a new product that all participants intend to profit from. The Flexis vans will be produced at Renault’s existing factory in Sandouville, France.
The name Flexis was inspired by Renault’s EZ-FLEX van, which was introduced in 2019. The EZ-FLEX van was very compact yet spacious (length — 3.86m, width — 1.65m, height — 1.88m). A batch of EZ-FLEX prototypes was tested with potential corporate clients, and in 2021, the van project was transferred to the new subsidiary brand, Mobilize, but the production version has not been released yet.
In 2022, Renault Group introduced its new development plan, featuring a new generation of electric vans called FlexEVan overseen by the subsidiary company, Flexis. Flexis has now become a joint venture between Renault, Volvo, and CMA CGM. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is not mentioned in relation to this joint venture, but according to the British magazine Autocar, Flexis is in talks with Nissan regarding the possibility of promoting Flexis products under the Japanese brand.
It is currently unclear if Flexis will exist as a standalone brand: the vans produced under the joint venture will be marketed under the Renault brand, but the Flexis strategy allows for customer badge engineering, meaning the commercial electric vehicles from Flexis could be available under various brands.
The lineup of future Flexis models is currently illustrated by a single teaser showing a monochrome van, a larger van with a high roof, and a chassis with a cab based on the monochrome van. The 800-volt skateboard platform of Flexis is very versatile, allowing for the production of pickup trucks for emerging markets. Flexis may create an equivalent to the Toyota Hilux Champ, but a final decision on this has not been made yet.
