The all-new Renault Trafic will be manufactured at Renault’s Sandouville plant, in Normandy, northern France.

Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn and France’s Minister for the Economy, Industry and Digital Sector, Emmanuel Macron, came together at Renault’s Sandouville plant in Normandy to inaugurate the company’s new production line, which will manufacture the new Trafic van.

Mr Ghosn also took the opportunity to confirm that, as expected, Renault will build a new van for Fiat from the second quarter of 2016, based on the new Trafic platform. The firm didn’t say whether it will simply be a rebadged Trafic or a re-worked model — with, say, Fiat engines.

Today was significant for Renault and the workers at the Sandouville plant, as it will be the first time this plant has ever produced light commercial vehicles.It will continue to produce the outgoing Laguna and Espace models in addition to the new Trafic until these cars are replaced.

Renault says that €230m of investment has been needed to prepare the plant and its staff for the new Trafic, but today’s opening means that Renault now produces all of its Europe-bound LCVs in France — a notable achievement, albeit one backed by a 2013 deal with the French government, called the ‘Contract for a new dynamic of Renault growth and social development in France’.

Renault is a major player in the European LCV market, holding a 14.5% share of the market at the end of 2013. At end-August 2014, global sales of Renault’s LCVs had increased by a further 5.7% — or 8% if all Group LCVs are taken into account.

The new Trafic is the sister model to the new Vauxhall Vivaro, which will be built at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, like the outgoing model — pretty much single-handedly propping up British LCV manufacturing in the process.