STA, 3 July 2019 - The production of the fifth generation Renault Clio was officially launched at Revoz, the Novo Mesto-based assembly plant of the French car maker on Wednesday. The project to establish the assembly line for the latest Clio is worth EUR 90 million, with the Slovenian government chipping in a EUR 6 million incentive.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek, with Šarec saying that Slovenia was proud to have had a factory such as Revoz for the last 60 years.
He said the EUR 90 million investment was a milestone in the development of the automotive industry in Slovenia and in industrial development in general.
Počivalšek noted that the Slovenian car industry boasted 284 companies, which generated 10% of the gross domestic product and more than 20% of exports while employing more than 16,000 people.
Slovenia recorded EUR 15.2 billion in foreign investments last year, which is EUR 1.2 billion more than in 2017.
Počivalšek said the Environment Agency was processing more than a hundred applications for environmental permits, "which means a lot of investments are planned in Slovenia".
Announcing the launch of the new generation of the B-segment supermini, Revoz CEO Kaan Ozkan said that it would bring new jobs, additional investments and a technological breakthrough as a major milestone for the plant and the local environment.
According to Ozkan, the predecessors of Clio V have been among the best selling car models in Slovenia, with the plant producing almost more than two million units since 1995.
As the government announced the project investment at the end of last year, it said that it expected the new investment in Novo Mesto to increase added value per employee at Revoz, which employs 3,400 people.
So far, more than 270 people have been hired because of the new investment.
The government said that Renault intended to invest EUR 4.2 million in buildings and EUR 85.8 million in new machines and equipment as part of the project.
According to the Economy Ministry, the investment will return multiple times as Revoz is expected to pay more than EUR 14 million in taxes and social security contributions in the first three years alone.
Revoz produced older Clio generations between 1993 and 2015, with the last Clio II car produced there at the end of April 2015.
The plant produced almost two million and a half of these vehicles before launching the production of Clio IV in June 2017. It also assembles the Renault Twingo and the Smart Forfour, including its electric version.
