Morocco Builds the Sandero That Has Sold 1 Million in France
The Sandero has just surpassed 1 million sales in France. Part of that success is built in Morocco, at Renault’s Tangier plant, where BFM Business followed the city car’s production through to its departure for foreign markets.
Opened in 2012, the complex has been producing the Sandero since 2013. In its report, BFM Business tours the workshops, from parts manufacturing to final assembly, before following the vehicles as they are shipped by train to Tanger Med.
French demand shows the scale of the market. Dacia announced on 2 September the delivery of its millionth Sandero registered in France since the model was launched in 2008, combining Sandero and Stepway versions. According to the automaker, it has also been the best-selling model among private buyers in France for ten years.
In Tangier, that popularity translates into significant industrial volumes. The plant manufactured 222 257 Sandero cars in 2025, according to Renault data. It also assembles the Jogger and Renault Express. The site covers 300 hectares and employs more than 6 000 people.
These production lines help make Morocco the group’s second-largest industrial platform worldwide by volume. Tangier and Casablanca’s Somaca plant together produced more than 394 000 vehicles in 2025, or nearly one in six vehicles sold by Renault Group worldwide.
Trains run directly into the factory
To supply foreign markets, production relies on an organization that brings suppliers, workshops and the port closer together. Renault lists 87 first-tier suppliers in its Moroccan network. Some are based in industrial zones near Tanger Med.
Finished cars can then leave the site by rail. Two railway tracks run directly into the factory, and several daily runs carry vehicles to the port terminal. Renault has a dedicated dock there.
This route supports Moroccan production largely geared toward exports: 82 % of vehicles made in Tangier and Casablanca are shipped abroad to 63 destinations, including France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
On Bladi.net : Renault Morocco Factory: Local Integration and Sustainability Strategy
The report also looks at the energy used in the workshops. The site combines wind power with a biomass boiler, fueled in part by olive residues.
Renault says these resources meet nearly 90 % of the plant’s energy needs. Industrial wastewater is recycled in a closed-loop system.
