Renault to Add Third Shift for Captur in Spain

MADRID – Renault Spain will add a third shift in October at its Valladolid assembly plant to boost production of the hot-selling Renault Captur CUV.

The addition of the night shift, scheduled for one year, will add 450 jobs at the facility, the automaker tells the Fora Nueva Economia (New Economy Forum).

“We started Captur assembly in February 2013, in a single work shift and at a daily rate of 350 units, and only four months after, in June, we introduced the second work shift with 500 new workers to increase the daily assembling rate to 710 units,” says José V. de Los Mozos, president of Renault Spain and director-global assembly and logistics.

“Due to the excellent reception the market has dispensed to our new model (Captur), we have just hired 250 more workers to increase its daily assembling rate to 900 vehicles in two work shifts,” the executive adds.

The Captur is assembled exclusively at the Valladolid plant and exported to more than 60 countries, including 25 in Europe and markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In South Korea the model is sold as the QM3 by Renault Samsung Motors.

The first stage of the third shift will take production to 5,200 vehicles per week, but de Los Mozos is targeting a rate of 5,600 units weekly by the end of the fourth quarter.

The Captur’s success is helping Renault workers here forget the disaster of the Modus, a Renault model discontinued in 2011 after a disappointing run, and the Twizy, a 2-seat electric vehicle that continues in production but never has reached expected volumes.

To capitalize on current Captur demand the French automaker recently launched a limited-edition model with Helly Hansen, the Norwegian outdoor and leisure clothing brand founded in 1877. The special edition will be the first Captur to feature “Extended Grip,” a system designed to optimize traction performance.

First seen in 2013 on the Renault Scenic X-Mod, Extended Grip is an advanced traction-control system designed for driving on snow-covered roads or through sand, mud or other difficult conditions. The system requires snow tires and allows the driver to select from three settings: Road, Loose Ground and Expert.

The Helly Hansen Captur can be ordered in one of four 2-tone color combinations that feature either a red, black, gray or ivory body paired with either a black or ivory roof. Inside are exclusive leather seats, carbon-fiber and chrome trim and unique floor mats.