Renault and Nissan strengthen alliance

The following board meetings at both Renault and Nissan on 10 and 11 December respectively, the two firms have issued the following statement via Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive officer of the Renault-Nissan Alliance: “Today was an important day for the future of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. After months of discussions, I am happy to say that an agreement has been reached that builds on our heritage and strong foundations to achieve further sustainable growth and success of the two partners. While there were important short-term issues to address, it was imperative that all involved took a long view.”

The continuing agreement is based on three points: The principle of the French government’s double voting rights within Renault to be maintained as of 1 April 2016, and a contract between the French government and Renault caps the French government’s voting rights at 17.9 per cent, up to 20 per cent in case of an unusually high quorum at the shareholders general meeting; No enfranchisement of Nissan shares in Renault; and a contract between Renault and Nissan providing for non-interference in Nissan’s governance by Renault.

Ghosn continued: “I want to thank all parties involved in helping us reach today’s agreement for their hard work, constructive spirit and business vision. We now look forward to all parties returning their focus to day to day operations to pursue sustainable growth for Renault and Nissan and to increase performance through additional Alliance synergies.”

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been going since 1999 and sold 8.5 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries in 2014. The alliance has strategic collaborations with automakers including Germany’s Daimler, Japan’s Mitsubishi, China’s Dongfeng, and India’s Ashok Leyland. The alliance also owns a majority stake in the joint venture which controls Russia’s Avtovaz, maker of the Lada brand.