Daimler, Renault-Led Alliance Ready for Self-Driving, Mobility Cooperation
Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance see opportunities to collaborate on mobility offerings as well as connected and self-driving cars, a move that would push their partnership into new territory.
Daimler and Renault-Nissan started working together eight years ago in a pact initially designed for joint work on small cars and delivery vans. One of the few examples of a successful significant partnership among automakers, it has since expanded into motors, transmissions and more vehicles.
“The next-generation mobility, a focus on connectivity and autonomous driving — we’re very open to activities in this field,” Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault SA, said Oct. 3 in Paris at a joint press briefing with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who added he saw more opportunities for the pair.
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault SA (Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg News)
Daimler and Renault-Nissan partnered up to generate additional economies of scale to better compete with rivals such as global market leader Volkswagen AG, which can spread costs for vehicle projects across 12 automotive brands. The three-way cooperation is underpinned by a cross-shareholding of 3.1%. Mitsubishi joined the alliance in 2016.
“The synergies we generated are significant,” Ghosn said.
