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France's drone production shifts from policy ambition to factory floor. August 6, 2026 France's push to enlist its car industry to produce military drones is moving to industrial implementation, as partnerships between automakers, car-part suppliers and defense firms turn lessons from the war in Ukraine into working assembly lines. Since the start of the year, at least six defense-automotive tie-ups have been announced, as President Emmanuel Macron's government seeks to combine the scale, automation and cost discipline of France's car sector with one of the fastest-growing segments of military technology. Ukraine and Russia's use of drones has reshaped warfare, and that has prompted France and its European allies to prioritise drone production, as pressure from Washington on Europe to boost its military capabilities has added urgency. The projects indicate France is building an industrial base capable of producing tens of thousands of drones a year - a scale difficult for defense startups to achieve alone, albeit one still dwarfed by Ukrainian and Russian efforts. France aims for scalable drone production. "Why now? Because the need is now, drones are now," Christophe Périllat, chief executive of auto parts supplier Valeo, told reporters at the end of July. "And why in France? Because we're being asked to guarantee our sovereignty." French defense officials do not anticipate a near-term need to deploy a large number of drones in the skies above France, but say it must be prepared for conflict. The goal is to give France the ability to produce drones quickly and ramp up output should a crisis arise, they say. A July report by the French Senate's defense committee described France's stock of just a few thousand drones as "insufficient to achieve a critical mass." Valeo has said it will manufacture electric drone motors in France for defense technology firm Harmattan AI. Meanwhile, Forvia unveiled a partnership last week with a European defense company specialising in AI-powered counter-drone systems and is weighing plans to build capacity in France to manufacture 1,000 interceptor drones each month. Renault, already working with Turgis & Gaillard to develop a long-range drone, partnered with Thales in June to industrialise production of the Toutatis kamikaze drone, targeting up to 1,000 units per month from 2027. French drone maker Delair teamed up with German automotive supplier Schaeffler the same month to establish a French production line capable of producing around 100 drones per day by November. Simplifying drone production for scale. If the plans announced by Renault, Schaeffler and Forvia are realized, combined output could reach 60,000 units per year. In a conflict, many more would be needed. Drones have been used in warfare for decades, but the war in Ukraine has seen an explosion in scale. Drones now dictate the flow of the battlefield, notching up the vast majority of kills. The front line has turned into a "kill zone," with soldiers hiding underground from the constant aerial threat. After Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine quickly accelerated its use of drones for reconnaissance, battlefield combat and long-range strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in July that it will produce 10 million in 2026. Ukraine now has hundreds of drone makers, big and small. Some even produce more than Ukraine's military can buy, and the government has cautiously moved towards allowing them to export some excess production. Patrick Pailloux, head of France's defense procurement agency, said he was working in particular with auto subcontractors to design drones that France will be able to produce in large quantities. "It's not the same: producing a drone in a defense start-up and making something that can be reproduced in very large volumes using production-line robots," he said. Renault CEO François Provost said in June the Toutatis kamikaze drone was being redesigned with fewer components and from injection-moulded plastic, enabling cheaper, higher-volume production than the current 3D-printed model. Enough drones to train on, but not millions. Defense officials say the challenge is scaling up production capacity while not building stockpiles that could soon become obsolete. Patrice Caine, CEO of French defense technology group Thales, said this summer that drones were "objects that evolve quickly" under the impetus of technological advances. Pailloux said France needed "enough so that we can train, and (the production capacity) to be able to withstand a shock". Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pledged a €150 million ($175 million) investment to develop a dedicated drone sector last December. But Antoine Level, head of France's drone industry association, said Germany was ahead of France in funding short-range drones, and that there were still "not enough orders to truly stimulate the industry." Author: Florence Loeve and Gilles Guillaume, Reuters Source: DefenseNews Reviewed By: Editorial Team

Anouk Poelmann, former CEO of Renault Group Netherlands, joins the World EV Forum leadership council. Former Renault Group Netherlands CEO Anouk Poelmann joins the World EV Forum's Leadership Council, bringing V2G and Australian EV insight. Anouk Poelmann, the former CEO of Renault Group Netherlands, has joined the Leadership Council of the World EV Forum. Poelmann announced the appointment on LinkedIn, highlighting the Council's role in providing guidance and global coordination to accelerate e-mobility through collaboration across clean energy, autonomy and AI/software. Poelmann is now based in Australia, where she also serves as Executive Director of Growth, Transformation and Market Entry for the Battery & Mobility executive platform. She also said she looks forward to bringing Australian insights to the global discussion while translating international experience into opportunities for Australia. Her focus will include how vehicle-to-grid, together with closer collaboration between the mobility, energy, and technology sectors, can help unlock the next phase of electrification The World EV Forum's Leadership Council brings together representatives from across the global EV sector, ranging from major international companies to small and medium sized businesses, to guide the platform's strategy. The wider forum focuses on accelerating the shift to electric mobility through collaboration on clean energy, autonomous vehicles and AI, based around four key pillars, including ElectricDrives, Women Leading EV., the EV SUMMIT, and World EV Day - with each platform playing their respective roles to assist the global shift towards electrification.

[Gasgoo express] Leapmotor Chairman says carmaking costs exceed imagination; Tesla's 10 millionth EV rolls off line globally. Edited by Betty From Gasgoo | July 31, 2026 22:21 BJT OEM Dynamics | OEM Trend * Gasgoo: Tesla officially announced on July 30 that its 10 millionth pure electric vehicle has rolled off the production line globally. The move makes Tesla the first automaker worldwide to surpass the 10-million-unit mark in pure EV production. Counting from the first Roadster prototype in 2006, Tesla achieved this production leap from zero to 10 million units over 20 years. * Kuai Tech: A teaser clip for Luo Yonghao's interview program "Luo Yonghao's Crossroads" was released on July 30. In the interview, Leapmotor Chairman Zhu Jiangming stated that building cars requires at least 20 billion yuan, adding that he wouldn't have started if he had known how capital-intensive it would be. Zhu left Dahua Technology, a security firm he had worked at for years, in 2015 to venture into vehicle manufacturing. The journey over the past decade has been rocky, and Leapmotor only recently crossed the break-even point. * Gasgoo: On July 30, Lu Tian, general manager of BYD's Dynasty Network sales division, revealed more details about the new flagship sedan, the "Da Han." Positioned in the D-class luxury segment, the model is the first sedan from BYD's Dynasty series to target this niche, carrying the internal development code "Series 9." According to the disclosed data, the Da Han measures 5,256 mm in length, 1,999 mm in width, and 1,510 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,130 mm. In terms of performance, the four-wheel-drive version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 270 km/h. * Kuai Tech: On July 30, Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance's SAIC announced that cumulative deliveries of its Z7 and Z7T models have surpassed 20,000 units. The series was officially launched on April 22, meaning it took just three months to hit this milestone, with June deliveries alone exceeding 10,000 units. The lineup comes standard with five major Huawei technology foundations and eight comfort and tech features, offered in two body styles: a fastback coupe and a shooting brake. * Cailian: BMW reported an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margin of 2.3% for its automotive business in the second quarter on July 30, beating market estimates of 2.22%. The automaker maintained its full-year forecast for an automotive EBIT margin of 1% to 3%, though this falls short of the market estimate of 2.71%. * Jiemian: On July 30, Renault Group reported revenue of 30.3 billion euros for the first half of 2026, up 9.5% year-on-year, or 10.3% at constant exchange rates; net profit stood at 700 million euros, while free cash flow from the automotive business reached 653 million euros. The group confirmed its 2026 financial targets: an operating margin of approximately 5.5% of group revenue and automotive free cash flow of around 1 billion euros. * Gasgoo: Italian luxury sports car manufacturer Lamborghini recently reported an operating profit of 395 million euros ($450 million) for the first half, a decline of over 8%, down from 431 million euros a year earlier. The operating profit margin slipped from 26.5% to 22.7%. U.S. tariff policies and military conflict in the Middle East have exposed vulnerabilities across the industry. Components Sector | Supply Chain News * Jiemian: LG Energy Solution released its second-quarter 2026 earnings report on July 30, showing consolidated revenue of 7.6 trillion won, up 15.3% quarter-over-quarter. Operating profit came in at 113.3 billion won, yielding a margin of 1.5%. For the first half of 2026, cumulative revenue reached 14.1 trillion won, a 10.5% year-on-year increase. Notably, energy storage system (ESS) revenue surged 4.6 times, with new orders exceeding 3 trillion won, accounting for over 20% of total revenue. * Gasgoo: Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corporation recently released a forecast for its first-half 2026 earnings. Preliminary calculations by the finance department indicate net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company will range from 246 million yuan to 300 million yuan, an increase of 111 million yuan to 165 million yuan compared to the same period last year, or a rise of 82.56% to 122.64%. * Gasgoo: Ningbo Jifeng Auto parts Co., ltd. recently disclosed a semi-annual performance forecast for 2026. The company expects first-half net profit attributable to parent company shareholders to be between 332 million yuan and 398 million yuan, an increase of 178 million yuan to 244 million yuan year-on-year, representing growth of 115.78% to 158.67%. * Gasgoo: Ningbo Huaxiang Group Co., Ltd. (002048.SZ) recently released its first-half 2026 performance outlook. The announcement suggests net profit attributable to listed shareholders will reach 610 million yuan to 690 million yuan, swinging from a loss of 374 million yuan in the same period last year. This marks a turnaround to profitability, with growth ranging from 263.27% to 284.69%. * Gasgoo: Volkswagen and its partner Gotion High-Tech are reportedly in deep discussions regarding the possibility of the Chinese battery maker taking a stake in VW's battery plant in Valencia, Spain. Industry sources indicate that Gotion Chairman Li Zhen has already visited the facility with senior executives to assess operations and related matters. * Blue Whale News: Superfluid Lab, newly established by DeepRoute.ai, has begun recruiting, focusing on directions such as large model algorithms, simulation algorithms, and AI infrastructure. According to sources, the lab was set up internally in May and has completed preliminary work including infrastructure reconstruction. It is expected to be led by Ruan Chong, a former core member of DeepSeek and a key researcher in multimodal technology. Industrial Focus | Industrial Economy * Cailian: A July 30 briefing from the National Energy Administration revealed that rapid growth in high-tech industries like new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence drove strong power consumption in the first half. Electricity usage for charging and swapping services reached 81 billion kWh, up 56.9% year-on-year, while internet data services hit 49.4 billion kWh, a 44% increase. Together, these sectors lifted total social power consumption by 0.9 percentage points. * Cailian: On July 30, reports highlighted the first half of 2026 as a period of stark divergence for the A-share auto parts sector, squeezed by volatile commodity prices and intensifying competition in the domestic auto market. Recent earnings previews suggest the industry split is turning into a sharp rupture rather than a gradual shift - companies deeply integrated into the top-tier new energy supply chain or those with global production footprints are breaking through with double-digit growth; conversely, smaller players reliant on traditional internal combustion engines and lacking pricing power are facing widespread losses, accelerating an industry shakeout. Under immense operational pressure, parts suppliers are not only hedging raw material inflation and stabilizing core operations but also leveraging strengths in precision manufacturing and thermal management to pivot into robotics and data center liquid cooling, striving to cultivate a second growth curve. Gasgoo not only offers timely news and profound insight about China auto industry, but also help with business connection and expansion for suppliers and purchasers via multiple channels and methods. Buyer service: [email protected] Seller Service: [email protected]