Report: Daimler Ready to Call It Quits With Renault-Nissan

The promising partnership that kicked off at the tail end of the last decade might end before this one is over. Compounding rumors about the troubled relationship, a report in a German business publication claims incoming Daimler CEO Ola Kaellenius will pull the plug on the automaker’s tie-up with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

Cost savings are at the core of the unconfirmed plan, and a peek at the recent past makes it seem all the more likely that the two will go their separate ways.

The report in Manager Magazin claims Kaellenius will let the joint partnerships die on the vine by not renewing them, part of an effort to realize 6 billion euros (roughly $6.75 billion) in savings by 2021. On the human side of things, a global Daimler workforce cut of 10,000 employees is said to be in the works.

The writing on the wall only grew bolder in recent months, as Nissan’s Infiniti brand discontinued the QX30 small crossover spawned from the partnership. China’s Geely then entered into a joint partnership with Daimler’s Smart brand, securing its future after rumors stated Renault-Nissan wasn’t interested in going halfsies on a new generation of small electric cars.

Two years ago, it was reported that the Alliance pulled a U-turn on plans to develop new luxury vehicles on the jointly funded Daimler MFA2 platform, with sources citing steep technology costs and the shaky state of the Infiniti brand. The two automakers own half of a joint manufacturing plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Should the latest report prove true, it means overseas customers will eventually say goodbye to the Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup, a midsize luxo truck derived from the Nissan Navara.

[Image: Daimler AG]