The strategic partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler is maturing as it enters its seventh year in 2016, the companies’ leaders said today in their annual media update at the Paris Motor Show.
“The partnership between Daimler and the Alliance has grown and matured,” said Carlos Ghosn, Alliance Chairman and CEO. “It is based on a spirit of cooperation and trust that has strengthened over the years. The results have clearly benefitted both partners. By sharing development and production costs, we have been able to enter new segments and offer our customers more compelling vehicles with the latest technology and features at more competitive prices.”
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Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, added: “Over the last seven years we’ve established a partnership that extends from parts to platforms, from co-development to co-production and from cars to commercial vehicles. And we did so in project-oriented, diverse teams that share competences across continents. They are driven by the best ideas – may they originate in Paris, Stuttgart, or Yokohama. So, our future cooperation continues to hold great promise.”
The companies also highlighted a number of milestones from the past year, including EV versions of the new smart fortwo, smart cabrio and smart forfour. The smart and the Renault Twingo were the first vehicles built on a common platform by Daimler and the Alliance. Launched in 2014, the smart two-seater is built at Daimler’s Hambach plant, France, whereas both four-seater vehicles are produced at Renault’s plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. EV versions of the smart fortwo, smart cabrio and smart forfour debuted at the Paris Motor Show.
The new motors are being built at the Renault plant in Cléon, France. The battery of the new smart electric drive is produced by the Daimler subsidiary, “Deutsche ACCUmotive,” in Kamenz, Germany. This, it is claimed, means smart is the first brand to offer its entire portfolio with both a combustion engine and also battery-electric drive.
When the Daimler-Alliance partnership was launched in April 2010, the scope of the original collaboration was limited to three projects, primarily in Europe. Since then, the combined portfolio shared between the partners is growing in all fields (products, engines and cross-supplying) in Europe, Asia and the Americas, the companies said.
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By GlobalDataOther milestones for the partnership between Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance:
- First Mercedes-Benz pickup truck taking shape and set-up of the Alliance’s production facilities in Spain and Argentina ‘fully on track’.
- Joint production facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico, preparing for pilot production of next generation premium compact cars.
