Renault, Daimler, Nissan Say Oui", Hai", Ja" In Three-Way Tie-Up

So today, Renault, Daimler, and Nissan did what we said they would do and announced a three-way tie-up. Which is good, because we are running out of inappropriate pictures. The marriage goes far beyond the exchange of symbolical stock holdings.

According to Automobilwoche [sub], the Renault-Nissan Alliance will get 3.1 percent of Daimler, in return, Daimler will get 3.1 percent of Renault and 3.1 percent of Nissan. That pretty much equals the value of the rings in a marriage. What is more important is the scope of cooperation between the three.

There was no shortage of grand announcements. Dr. Z. waxed lyrical about “common interests in many fields, which provide a promising foundation for a successful, strategically sensible cooperation.“ He expects „strengthened competiveness in the sub-compact and compact field, and a reduction of CO2 emissions. Brand identities remain untouched.”

Ghosn was a bit less Wagnerian and said „ The Renault-Nissan-Alliance is has experience with successful co-operations, and that helps.“

Other than the production of grand announcements, there will be many joint projects by the happy threesome.

As presaged here again and again, the new generation of Daimler’s Smart and Renault’s Twingo will be joined at the hip. New cars are expected in 2013. Daimler’s Smart works in Hambach, France, will build the two-seaters. Renault’s factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, will be responsible for he four-seaters. No surprises there for the attentive TTAC reader. The diminutive cars will be available in electrified versions right from the get-go.

Then, there are the engines. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will bring into the marriage small diesel and gasoline mills with three and four cylinders. Other than being used in the Smart/Twingo twins, Mercedes will also use them in their A and B Class.

Daimler will provide bigger bore diesel and gasoline engines to be used in Nissan Infinitis.

In addition, the merry threesome will cooperate in the design of future engines.

There will be some tête-à-tête in the van business. Daimler will rebadge a small Renault van as Mercedes.

Conspicuously absent: The usual green announcements of joint development of planet-saving technologies, batteries and powertrains. Not a word.

One minor item, pointed out by the ever so vigilant Nikkei [sub]: The French government has to shake loose some Euros to buy 0.55 percent of Renault SA shares to keep its overall stake in the carmaker above 15 percent. This keeps the French government as Renault’s biggest shareholder, just a bit ahead of Nissan, which owns 15 percent.