The automobile group that makes up Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi in the so-called Alliance yesterday released its medium-term strategy . The future plan has been shared at a very critical moment for Nissan in Spain; and is that today the company has announced the closure of its plants in Catalonia, which will mean the loss of almost 3,000 direct jobs. The joint program of action for the coming years will be a savings in investment of up to 40% by leveraging more synergies that will help improve the competitiveness and profitability of the three brands.

With this objective, they will share platforms and technologies , so that the costs that such development would entail would be saved if they had to carry it out individually.

The plan establishes that each brand will lead specific technological fields , the advances of which will be used by the other firms. Likewise, not only have the leadership been distributed by product segments, but markets have also been assigned worldwide (Nissan will be the benchmark in China, North America and Japan; Renault in Europe, Russia, South America and North Africa; and Mitsubishi in Oceania and Southeast Asia).

Renault, Nissan y Mitsubishi Alianza

The next model update will be carried out on the aforementioned “leader-follower” pattern , that is, one of the brands will be in charge of developing the primary vehicle and the rest will adapt it to their specific needs. For example, from 2025, Nissan will be responsible for the renewal of the SUV model of the C segment, where it has demonstrated great success with the Qashqai , as well as will lead, in collaboration with Mitsubishi, the development of the platform for Kei Car cars. which are sold in Japan. Renault, meanwhile, will do the same with the SUV in segment B.

The plan establishes that each brand will lead specific technological fields, the advances of which will be used by the other firms.

In the Latin American market , a rationalization of the product platforms of segment B will be carried out, so that one of the four that currently exists will be moved to one. This is the CMF-B, already used in both the Renault Captur and Clio models and the Nissan Juke. Compact cars destined for this market will be manufactured in two plants. In one the models with saloon body will be produced and in the other the SUVs.

Regarding the technologies that each brand will lead, the Alliance has announced that Nissan will be responsible for autonomous driving and connectivity in China (Renault will carry Android connectivity), Mitsubishi will deal with plug-in hybrid versions of segments C and D, while the rhombus firm will develop the so – called e-Body , which is the central system of electrical and electronic architecture.

Technologies and platforms that will lead each of the brands

Regarding the propellers , the French brand will be in charge of the diesel and low-displacement gasoline engines, Nissan, which will equip the Japanese Kei Cars and Mitsubishi of the plug-in hybrid systems (PHEV). It remains to speak of electric motors : Renault will develop those for segments A and B, while Nissan will do so for segments C and D.

“The Alliance is a unique strategic and operational association in the automotive world that gives us a strong advantage in an ever-changing global automotive landscape,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance and Renault. “The new business model will allow the Alliance to take full advantage of the assets and performance capabilities of each company, while building on their respective cultures and legacies. The three Alliance companies will cover all vehicle segments and technologies, in all geographic areas, for the benefit of each client, while increasing their respective competitiveness, sustainable profitability, and social and environmental responsibility. ”

As it is a medium term strategy there will be no immediate impact; it is expected that the savings begin to be felt in 2022 . “This alliance is strong and it is getting stronger,” Senard has answered a question asked in the presentation of the plan, about whether it is possible to expand it to other firms in the future. The manager added that in the coming weeks there will be “some news” that he did not want to detail. Anyway, he took the opportunity to insist that there are no plans for a merger between Renault and Nissan: “We do not need a merger to be efficient, to share our capabilities and get the best out of this organization.”