UPDATE: Renault electric car espionage suspect was in 30-member panel headed by Carlos Ghosn

French carmaker Renault has said that suspected industrial espionage against its business poses a serious threat to its "strategic assets".

The statement comes a day after Renault suspended three senior managers after an investigation into the possible leaking of electric vehicle secrets.

Commenting on the matter, French Industry Minister Eric Besson warned the country was facing "economic war". Mr Besson said the situation at Renault "appears serious".

"The expression 'economic war', while sometimes outrageous, for once is appropriate," he told France's RTL radio station. "It appears to concern the electric car, but I do not want to go further."

Mr Besson said he was calling for French companies which received public funds to improve their security.

Sources said that those suspended had all headed electric vehicles projects and one was a member of the company's management committee, a 30-strong panel of top managers headed by chief executive Carlos Ghosn. The suspension without pay of the staff is a first step towards possible disciplinary action. The three were required to leave their offices on Monday, the sources said.

Renault plans to launch electric versions of its Fluence model priced at about 25,000 euros (34,000 dollars) and its Kangoo Express for about 20,000 euros in mid-2011, and its smaller Twizy and Zoe models in late 2011 and 2012. It forecasts that electric cars will make up 10 percent of the market by 2020. Along with its Japanese partner Nissan, it is investing 200 million euros a year in the programme.

Nissan has already launched an all-electric car for the mass market, the Leaf, in Japan and the United States, where it sold out on pre-orders. The Leaf is set to be launched in select European markets in early 2011.

Other major car makers are in on the act, preparing to launch electric cars. Among Renault's French competitors, Citroen is making the C-Zero and Peugeot the iON. Tata of India is preparing to launch the Vista EV. Mercedes-Benz of Germany has an electric smart car, the Fortwo ED, while in Japan Mitsubishi has the iMiEV and Toyota the Prius Plug-in.

This is in contrast to rivals such as General Motors and Toyota, the world's two largest carmakers, which are instead investing heavily in hybrid vehicles, which use both an electric and a petrol engine.

Sources: BBC and AFP

Related post: Renault's electric vehicle programme target of espionage

READ MORE - UPDATE: Renault electric car espionage suspect was in 30-member panel headed by Carlos Ghosn

Renault's electric vehicle programme target of espionage

From Reuters: French carmaker Renault suspended three executives for suspected industrial espionage after an investigation lasting several months, a source close to the company told Reuters on Wednesday.

A Renault spokeswoman confirmed it suspended three executives on Monday after an "ethical alert" was transmitted to the group's compliance committee in August. But she declined to give further details about the suspensions.

The source close to the company said: "It involves people who were caught red-handed for industrial espionage. It's a matter that has lasted several months already."

The source said the three people involved were senior executives, one of whom was on the company's management committee.

"Renault is a victim in this story. The group is a bit worried about its electric vehicle (EV) programme -- it hopes that its leadership in this technology won't be threatened," the source said.

Renault, with its Japanese alliance partner Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T), is a fierce proponent of EV technology, with the companies jointly investing 4 billion euros ($5.3 billion) in their flagship EV programmes.

A second source close to Renault said an "ethical alert" could mean a fellow employee warning the compliance committee that an individual's behaviour threatened the company.

"It means that at a given moment their personal behaviour, whether in their activity within Renault or in their external dealings, could threaten Renault's internal competencies or indeed its development of projects or products," the source said.

The behaviour in question could involve leaks of information "but not necessarily only that", the source said.

And in French, by France2: Trois hauts cadres du groupe Renault ont été mis à pied en raison de soupçons d'espionnage industriel

Selon des sources proches du dossier, un membre du comité de direction et un cadre travaillant sur le programme des voitures électriques figurent parmi les personnes concernées. Les informations diffusées à l'extérieur concerneraient ce secteur.

Renault a confirmé qu'une alerte éthique avait été transmise fin août au comité de déontologie.


"A la suite de cela, il y a eu une enquête et cette enquête a effectivement conduit à la mise à pied lundi de ces trois cadres", a déclaré une porte-parole de la firme au losange, sans se prononcer sur l'accusation d'espionnage industriel ou sur la présence d'un membre du comité de direction parmi les trois personnes concernées. En droit français, la mise à pied conservatoire, mesure provisoire à durée indéterminée, permet d'écarter le salarié de l'entreprise dans l'attente d'une éventuelle sanction. Le contrat de travail est suspendu et le salarié n'est pas rémunéré.

"C'est une affaire qui dure depuis quelques mois déjà", a commenté une source proche de Renault, sous couvert d'anonymat. "Il s'agit de personnes qui ont été prises la main dans le sac pour espionnage industriel", a-t-elle ajouté.

Une autre source proche du groupe a précisé que l'enquête interne se poursuivait. "Une alerte éthique, cela veut dire qu'à un moment donné, soit dans leur activité interne, soit dans leurs relations avec le monde extérieur à Renault, [les personnes concernées] ont eu un comportement qui peut porter atteinte aux compétences internes du groupe, voire au développement de projets ou de produits", a dit cette source.

Renault va commercialiser en milieu d'année deux modèles en version électrique, la berline familiale Fluence et l'utilitaire Kangoo Express. La gamme électrique du constructeur, partenaire du japonais Nissan, comptera également deux autres modèles: le petit véhicule Twizy et la petite berline Zoe, qui doivent être commercialisés au deuxième semestre de cette année et mi-2012.

"Le groupe s'inquiète un peu pour son programme électrique, il espère que son leadership sur cette technologie ne sera pas menacé", commente une des sources proches du constructeur.

READ MORE - Renault's electric vehicle programme target of espionage

Renault tests electric Kangoo ZE and Fluence ZE in Lisbon

Portuguese media tested the electric Renault Kangoo ZE and the Renault Fluence ZE this week in Lisbon, as part of Renault's electric roadshow.

The two electric models will debut in the Portuguese market in 2011 from prices starting from 21,620 euros for Fluence ZE, a sedan, and from around 20,000 euros for the Kangoo ZE, the electric version of the popular panel van first launched in 1997.

Somewhen in 2012, Renault expects to launch the ZOE, an EV loosely based on the best-selling Clio, and the Twizy, a two-seater with an expected tag price bellow the 10,000.

READ MORE - Renault tests electric Kangoo ZE and Fluence ZE in Lisbon

Paris unveils electric car scheme

For a 12€ monthly fee, those 58% of Parisians who do not own a car will be able to use one of the 3,000 Bolloré Bluecars for short journeys around the city, starting in fall 2011. The self-service car scheme, named Autolib, is based on the famous Vélib cycle-sharing system that Paris developed in 2007 and other international cities are now adopting and adapting, or simply put, copying.

The electric, french-made four-seat Bluecar comes with its own GPS and is able to travel for 250 km (155 miles) between charges and has an estimated to speed of 130 kph (80 mph). Charging will take 4 hours at any of the 3,000 self-service plug-in stations being built across the city and its suburbs.

Drivers will pay 5€ for the first half an hour of use, 4€ for the next and 6€ for each subsequent 30-minute slot, to encourage short time trips. The prices will make the Bluecar an interesting alternative to Parisian taxis.

The mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe expects the plan to attract between 160,000 and 200,000 subscribers.

Source: The Guardian

READ MORE - Paris unveils electric car scheme