By Laurence Frost
PARIS (Reuters) - Renault (PA:RENA) will introduce hybrid versions of its top-selling models, the French carmaker said on Monday, as the European auto industry races to meet tightening emissions goals.
Starting in 2020, the company will roll out a gasoline-electric hybrid Clio subcompact and rechargeable plug-in hybrid variants of its Captur mini-SUV and Megane hatchback.
"What you're seeing now is the unfolding of electric cars at a speed that is going to vary from one company to another," Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, said at an event on the eve of the Paris Motor Show.
Renault also confirmed the 2019 launch of a low-cost K-ZE electric model in China, produced in a Renault-Nissan joint venture unveiled last year with Dongfeng.
The French brand's offering on the new shared electric-vehicle architecture will have a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), Renault said, without giving details of pricing.
However, Ghosn has previously discussed plans to "change the game" with a low-cost electric car priced below $8,000 after Chinese incentives - and ultimately without them.