Carlos Ghosn cemented his position as the car industry’s boldest promoter of electric cars by committing Renault to produce four new battery-powered models within three years, and reach six-figure sales for one of them by the middle of the next decade.

Mr Ghosn, the French carmaker’s chief executive, said the company planned to produce an all-electric compact van, a family car and a city car by 2011 and a five-seater by 2012.