Renault has established a research and ??? ??development base in China, employing around 200 hardware engineers and planning to hire more software engineers in Shanghai, the country’s largest city, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday. The goal is to seek local partners for electric vehicle components and integrate the technological expertise gained in China into its French teams, Francois Provost, Renault’s procurement and partnerships chief and former chairman of its China operations, said in an interview. The French automaker is also developing a new all-electric model in China for the first time, aiming for production in late 2025. However, the car will initially be manufactured and sold in Europe, Chinese media outlet AutoPix reported on Oct. 29. [Bloomberg, AutoPix, in Chinese]