AUTONEWS

Renault cancels Mobilize Duo

Renault has cancelled its electric Mobilize Duo quadricycle before bringing it to the UK, citing “limited chances of profitability”.

The Duo was the vehicle for Renault’s car-sharing and urban mobility programme: Mobilize. As Autocar recalls, the brand was founded in 2021 with the ambition of becoming a leading name in “everything outside the automotive industry”, with charging stations, servicing programmes, urban mobility solutions and vehicle refurbishment programmes all falling under its remit.

Ultimately, Renault Group envisions Mobilize accounting for 30% of its total turnover by 2030.

The two-seater Duo – and the van variant Bento – are intended as flagship models for the new operation, designed mainly for use via app-based subscription services rather than conventional ownership models.

Duo was launched last year and was due to be available in the UK in 2025, but Renault has announced that it is closing its Mobilize Beyond Automotive operation and ceasing production of Duo.

“Some activities developed by Mobilize Beyond Automotive have been discontinued, either because they have limited prospects for profitability or because they do not directly serve the Group’s strategic priorities,” the company said.

In addition to ending Duo production, Renault will also phase out its Zity car-sharing operation in Milan, Italy.

Mobilize Beyond Automotive no longer exists as an entity, Renault Group confirmed, having “fulfilled its role as an incubator and driver of innovation by strengthening the Group’s expertise in new areas, identifying and developing high-potential opportunities and discontinuing less relevant routes.”

The company said it would continue to use the Mobilize name for its financial services business, while the division’s other operations – including the Charge Pass subscription scheme, Mobilize fast-charging network and V2G functionality – would be brought back under the Renault Group umbrella.

Reuters reports that the move will cut about 80 of the 450 jobs at Mobilize Beyond Automotive. Mobilize was one of the central pillars of the bold Renaulution transformation program of the previous CEO of Renault Group, Luc de Mea, but his successor, François Provost, is making strategic adjustments in preparation for the release of a new strategic plan in the first quarter of 2026.

Autonews