Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi outline plans for reworked Alliance

Just one week after Renault and Nissan restructured their ownership stakes in the Alliance, the triumvirate that includes Mitsubishi has come out today with a blueprint of plans for key markets that include India, Europe, and Latin America.

The projects lined up by the Alliance aim to ‘deliver win-win, large-scale and actionable benefits’ in three key dimensions, markets, vehicles, and technologies. Note that the details here are not yet absolute and will be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

For Latin America, a Renault Group-developed half-ton pickup truck will be shared with Nissan in Argentina, while the Nissan Frontier-Renault Alaskan collaboration on a one-ton pickup truck will continue.  In Mexico, Nissan will produce a vehicle for the Renault Group (the first Renault made in Mexico in 20 years). Finally, Nissan and the Renault Group will work on a city car segment EV based on the Common Module Family platform.

In India, the Renault Group and Nissan will work on several models, including new SUVs that will be shared between the two brands. There are also plans to make a new Nissan mini-MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) based on the Renault Triber. An A-segment EV is also being considered for this market.

Europe sees all members of the Alliance collaborating. For starters, the Renault Group and Mitsubishi will use assets from the Renault Captur and Clio to make new vehicles based on the next-gen ASX and Colt. The Renault Group will bring the FlexEVan to the LCV (light commercial vehicle) market and share it with Nissan. Further down the line, the Renault Group and Nissan will explore partnerships on C-segment EVs, including sharing technologies on common 800-volt architecture. The Renault Group also plans to produce Nissan’s next compact B-segment EV in their ElectriCity facility in France. The Alliance’s work in Europe covers the entire lifecycle of vehicles, from distribution, usage, recycling, and end-of-life.

On top of their collaboration in the design, development, and manufacturing of vehicles (conventional and EVs), Nissan will invest 15% in Ampere (Renault’s EV and software company in Europe), to become a strategic investor and increase business opportunities in the region. Mitsubishi has also expressed its intention to invest in Ampere. Both Japanese automakers will become customers of the Renault Group’s Horse project which aims to further scale and market coverage for its low-emission internal combustion engine (ICE) & hybrid powertrain technologies.

As for the rebalancing of cross-shareholding between the Renault Group and Nissan, both companies will now own 15% of each other’s company while the remaining 28.4% of Nissan stocks will be moved to a French trust. This move allows Nissan to exercise its voting rights in the Alliance.

While most of the Alliance plans under the reworked agreement are still subject to examination and approval by the Board, one can’t help but get excited for the future of the Alliance and how it will impact mobility not just in the target regions, but the global automotive market.