PARIS — Renault expects to boost returns this year on the back of a record order book and new models as the Europe-focused automaker navigates a region in the grip of record inflation and lingering supply-chain problems.
The company forecast a group operating margin at or above 6 percent in 2023, compared with 5.6 percent last year, Renault said Thursday. It will also reinstate paying a dividend for the first time in four years with a payout of 25 euro cents a share after getting traction on its turnaround plan.
Renault Group’s fundamentals “have been thoroughly cleaned up and there will be no turning back,” CEO Luca de Meo said in a statement. The “2023 financial outlook and the return of a dividend illustrate this.”
Free cash flow is expected at or above 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion), Renault said, compared with a record 2.1 billion euros last year.
The automaker is emerging from a tumultuous 12 months marked by a costly withdrawal from Russia and a landmark deal to reshape its troubled alliance with Nissan, on top of battling industry supply-chain woes. Under an agreement announced earlier this month, Renault, will cut its stake in Nissan to 15 percent from 43 percent now.
While crippling chip shortages are easing, Renault still faces logistics troubles paired with a weakening outlook in Europe, its mainstay market.
In November, Renault outlined new mid-term targets for an operating margin of more than 8 percent in 2025 and above 10 percent by 2030.
The automaker has been revamping its model lineup including higher-returning specs. Orders for new models such as the all-electric Megane e-tech, Arkana and Dacia Jogger and high prices helped boost automotive revenue last year, Renault said.
Group revenue during 2022 rose 11 percent to 41.7 billion euros with operating income more than doubling to 2.2 billion euros.
Orders at the end of last year for Europe were equivalent to three-and-a-half months of sales, the company said.
Shortage struggle
Last year, semiconductor shortages shaved production by about 300,000 with carmakers including Volkswagen still struggling to source enough of the components. Renault, like its peers, has been selling fewer vehicles at higher prices as factories ground to a halt.
Automakers have been pointing at stretched order books to cushion any slowdown with growing questions over when consumers pummeled by a cost-of-living crisis might start to cancel on long-standing deals.
De Meo is moving ahead with a split of the business in five units as he seeks outside investors to help fund a costly shift to electrification.
This month’s agreement with Nissan will also allow the company to proceed with plans to work with new partners, such as China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding.
Renault is planning an initial public offering of its carved-out electric-vehicle business in Paris as soon as the second half this year, depending on market conditions.
The stock is up 38 percent year to date, the top performance in Europe’s Stoxx 600 Automobiles & Parts Index, giving Renault a market value of 12.8 billion euros.
Reuters contributed to this report