Renault and Nissan discuss joint future

Alliance partners Renault and Nissan are once again examining their cooperation. Last spring it came out that Renault reportedly wants to get rid of a large part of its Nissan shares and that again seems to be the main point of discussion. At the time, it was already a share sale that would reduce Renault’s stake in Nissan from 43 percent to 15 percent, now Nissan would even actively aim for this, reports Reuters. It would equalize the interest that the two parties have in each other, because Nissan already has a 15 percent stake in Renault.

A smaller mutual interest does not mean that the two are heading for a ‘divorce’. Renault and Nissan jointly state that there is “reliable discussions” back and forth and that “the companies are going for structural improvements that sustain the alliance’s governance and operations”. In short, Renault and Nissan just want to get on with each other, albeit in a slightly different form. Still somewhat vague, the most concrete thing that comes out is that Nissan is considering investing in Renault’s electric future. That is very important for Nissan, which here in Europe relies heavily on Renault in that area. For example, the new fully electric Nissan Micra (see illustration above) will become a brother of the Renault 5, on the CMF B-EV basis.