Renault On The Prowl For An American Boyfriend
“Flirtation between Nissan and GM has a rich history,” said our Dear Leader. Here we go again. This time, with the whole cabal. Renault’s Ghosn has put an entry in the Match.com of the auto trade. Reuters says that Renault could work closely with a U.S. partner if the occasion arose, but it is not crucial. Not only is Renault flirtatious, they make it sound like it’s a no strings attached kind of a thing. It never is …
“If we have the opportunity to work more closely with a U.S. maker, we will do it,” Ghosn said. “It could be an objective, but it’s not a necessity.”
In the size-does-matter department of the possible relationship, Ghosn says Renault is well endowed. “We are already big enough,” he said. Together with Nissan and Russian partner Autovaz, production would be 6.8 million vehicles in 2010, making it among the world’s top three car makers. Trouble is, neither Renault itself nor groups like OICA ever add Renault, Nissan and Autovaz together. But all is fair in love and war.
Message: If an American automaker wants to play footsie, Renault won’t blush.
Let’s go down the list:
Ford? Unlikely. They are well entrenched in Europe. They are not in a flirtatious mood.
Chrysler? They already have an Italian lover.
GM? They have serious trouble keeping the lights on at Opel, after Germany had denied any help, and after the beggathon in Europe has been broken off.
The timing is a bit obvious, wouldn’t you say? You think Whitacre will get the subliminal message?
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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In a way, they like playing hard to get... Too bad they only have one real option (if GM even decides to go for it).
I always felt that Renault/Nissan/Chrysler was a good fit, but Carlos Ghosn obviously didn't. Chrysler's lineup would have meshed well with the others, as well as giving Renault another crack at America. While I think it's merger with Fiat will work, Chrysler might have retained more of it's independence in a partnership w/ Renault-Nissan.