SOMACA starts manufacturing Renault Kardian intended for the national market and export. See full photo album
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-MIC
The Casablanca factory – SOMACA, a true institution in the Moroccan automobile industry, celebrated the launch of the production of the Renault Kardian on its lines. The vehicles were presented on the sidelines of the press conference held today in the presence of Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Mohamed Bachiri, Managing Director of Renault Group Maroc, Mr. Miguel Oliver-Boquera General Director of the Tangier and SOMACA factories and Mr. Mohamed Bennani, General Director of the Renault brand in Morocco.
The Industrialization of Kardian at the historic SOMACA factory is a key step in the Renault brand’s international strategy “Renault International Game plan 2027”, announced in 2023, and of which Morocco is one of the pillars . This new project reinforces Morocco’s role as a major industrial platform for the Group and an essential export base. It illustrates the performance and competitiveness of the Moroccan industrial platform, which plays an important role in the international expansion of the brand.
Today, Morocco is Renault Group’s second largest production country globally and represents 17% of the group’s sales worldwide. A strategic project for SOMACA, a pioneering factory in the national automobile industry.
New Kardian is the first of eight production models revealed during the announcement of the Renault brand’s “International game plan 2027” in Rio de Janeiro in October 2023 and whose manufacturing began at the Curitiba plant (Brazil). ) and now at SOMACA.
Renault Kardian is a compact and urban SUV in the B segment. We find Renault DNA at the heart of its design, both in its style and in its equipment. Renault Kardian inaugurates Renault Group’s new modular and ultra-versatile platform, which will make it possible to develop a wide variety of models for numerous markets outside Europe. The ultra-flexibility of this platform makes it possible to offer customers very different bodywork and silhouettes.
The launch of Renault Kardian manufacturing at SOMACA is accompanied by a technological upgrade, particularly in the painting department with the integration of the “Bi-Ton” industrial process, a first for the Group’s factories in Morocco. This new process consists of applying two distinct colors to the vehicle to differentiate the body from the roof and which requires a great degree of precision and specific equipment to guarantee the quality and adhesion of each layer of paint.
The industrialization of Renault Kardian at SOMACA was carried out entirely by local skills, involving engineering and industry teams who benefited from 6,000 hours of training, particularly on new painting processes, sheet metal and of assembly.
Designed for international markets, Renault Kardian “made in Morocco” will be intended for the local market and for export to around fifteen countries, particularly the Gulf countries, African countries, as well as Ukraine and Guadeloupe. In Morocco, Renault Kardian will be marketed from December 2024 throughout the Renault network.
“We are particularly proud to mark today the launch of production at the SOAMCA factory of a new compact SUV vehicle, intended for both the local and export markets. The launch of production of the Renault Kardian marks a new stage in the strategic partnership linking Morocco to the Renault group, thus consolidating our common ambition to position the Kingdom as a key player in the international automobile industry” Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Commerce.
“With the integration of Renault Kardian into its catalog, SOMACA is fully playing its role on the Group’s international industrial scene. This year, SOMACA will exceed a new production record with more than 100,000 vehicles, a guarantee of its level of performance and competitiveness. SOMACA contributes to the Group’s objective of increasing the production capacity of the Morocco industrial center to 500,000 vehicles per year by 2025 with the achievement of a production capacity of 120,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2024 » Mohamed Bachiri, Managing Director Renault Group Morocco.
The Industrialization of Kardian at the historic SOMACA factory is a key step in the Renault brand’s international strategy “Renault International Game plan 2027” which reinforces the role of Morocco as a major industrial platform for Renault Group. SOMACA fully contributes to the Group’s objective of increasing the production capacity of the Morocco industrial center to 500,000 vehicles by 2025 by displaying a production capacity of 120,000 vehicles from the end of 2024. Renault Kardian “made in Morocco” will be intended for the local market and for export to around fifteen countries. It will be marketed in Morocco from December 2024 throughout the Renault network. 
