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, chief executive officer of Renault SA, said Wednesday in Paris at a joint press briefing with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who added he saw more opportunities for the pair.
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 percent. Mitsubishi joined the alliance in 2016.
“The synergies we generated are significant,” Ghosn said.
Reaping the benefits from economies of scale and boosting efficiency is critical for global automakers facing cost pressures in the shift to electric and self-driving vehicles, just as growing trade barriers complicate vehicle exports between key markets like China and the U.S.
The U.K. leaving the European Union is adding even more uncertainty, even as Ghosn said he was confident U.K. authorities would come up with a Brexit agreement that protects business interests.
“We all know it’s going to be bad if it’s a hard Brexit, because we don’t know what’s going to happen with our supply chain,” he said. “I don’t buy the doomed scenario.”
