Renault And Daimler Seen Making Out Again

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Again, Renault and Daimler are reported to having a serious têteà-tête that could lead to a formal marriage. According to the Financial Times, “Daimler and Renault are discussing acquiring mutual equity stakes as part of a possible alliance that would go beyond their current talks on small cars.” Their source? “Two people briefed on the matter.”

Stakes to be bought or swapped were likely to be smaller than 10 per cent.

Last December, Daimler and Renault said they were discussing a possible partnership for small and compact vehicles. This was formalized a few weeks ago.

Reuters quotes Sandford Bernstein analyst Max Warburton who believes that the firms are discussing: a “much wider and formal level of co-operation across products and technologies. Sources report Ghosh is trying to persuade Zetsche to join the Renault-Nissan Alliance, via an equity investment or swap, while Zetsche would prefer a simple joint venture.”

Reuters thinks the tie-up would make sense: “Renault-Nissan lacks top of the line cars, despite attempts with the Safrane, Vel Satis or Korean-built Samsung models, while Mercedes seeks smaller cars beyond the A-Class and Daimler’s Smart vehicles.”

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • 50merc 50merc on Mar 16, 2010

    Rumored to be in the works: a new small, light sports car that will be a blend of 2CV and W125.

  • Charly Charly on Mar 16, 2010

    2CV wasn't a Renault

  • Martin Schwoerer Martin Schwoerer on Mar 16, 2010

    Daimler is a dame that got a divorce twice and cancelled her own weddings three times. She's a great looker and wealthy, so many men feel flattered at the thought of a permanent bond, but nobody is really gonna go through with it.

  • J Mendez J Mendez on Mar 16, 2010

    2CV Was a Citroen!!! Geez, Ghosn should listen to Polishdon! RUN!!!!

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