
Dongfeng Renault is a joint venture car, which belongs to the small SUV category. Taking the Dongfeng Renault City K-ZE 2019 E-Fun model as an example, its body dimensions are: length 3735 mm, width 1579 mm, height 1484 mm, wheelbase 2423 mm, minimum ground clearance 151 mm, and trunk capacity 300 liters. The Dongfeng Renault City K-ZE 2019 E-Fun model is equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a total motor power of 33 kW and a total motor torque of 125 Nm. It is paired with a 1-speed fixed gear ratio transmission. The front suspension uses a MacPherson independent suspension, and the rear suspension uses a torsion beam non-independent suspension.

This Dongfeng Renault, I've looked into its background. It was indeed a Sino-French joint venture before, with Dongfeng Motor and French Renault each holding a 50% stake, established in 2013. Back then, cars like the Kadjar and Koleos bore the Dongfeng Renault badge, with production lines in Wuhan. However, in 2020, Renault transferred all its shares to Dongfeng, making it purely domestic now. Interestingly, Renault still uses Dongfeng's factories to manufacture electric vehicles, like the recently released JMC Yi, which actually carries the Renault badge for export to Europe. The technology from the joint venture era remains, and the 1.5T engine currently used by Dongfeng Fengshen was developed during that joint project.

As a seasoned used car appraiser, I've handled many Dongfeng Renault vehicles. The early Koleos models clearly bore the badge 'Dongfeng Renault Automobile Co., Ltd.' on their nameplates, and the Renault-Nissan Alliance joint logo could still be found in the engine bay. Nowadays, when appraising these cars, I pay special attention to the production date: only vehicles manufactured before 2019 with the 10th digit of the VIN being K/L/M qualify as authentic joint-venture products. Later models saw increasing localization rates - for instance, the Captur reached 80% domestic parts content, with even its infotainment system switching to a Dongfeng-Huawei co-developed unit. Although the brand has now exited the market, its resale value remains higher than some domestic brands, thanks to its French-engineered chassis tuning heritage.

Having repaired cars for twenty years, I know the parts evolution of Dongfeng Renault best. In the early days, replacing a headlight assembly required imported parts with French-only packaging at exorbitant prices. After 2016, localization gradually took over—consumables like bumpers and windshields became directly interchangeable with Dongfeng Aeolus parts. The most distinctive change was in the electrical system—the fuse box in older Renault Kadjars bore bilingual Chinese-French labels, later simplified to Chinese-only markings. Nowadays, servicing these vehicles is more convenient as Dongfeng's Wuhan parts warehouse stocks most components, though certain sensors still require salvaged parts. I recommend owners regularly check alternator voltage, as unstable voltage in these models tends to burn out bulbs frequently.


