Renault and Nissan Motor are interested in purchasing a significant stake in General Motors and including the struggling automaker in their alliance, according to a letter sent on Friday to GM from billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian’s investment company, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more


The letter from Kerkorian’s investment company, Tracinda Corp., reportedly said it believes Renault and Nissan are receptive to the idea of including General Motors in their partnership and purchasing “a significant minority interest” in the Detroit automaker.


Renault, Nissan and GM already co-operate in Europe on the design and manufacture of two van ranges.


AP said that Tracinda, a large minority shareholder in GM, said the existing French-Japanese partnership has created “tremendous engineering, manufacturing and marketing synergies, resulting in substantial benefits and cost savings to both Renault and Nissan.”


Tracinda reportedly urged GM’s board to form a committee to “immediately and fully explore this opportunity together with management,” as it feels the alliance could help GM “realise substantial synergies and cost savings and thereby greatly benefit the company and enhance shareholder value.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The letter also indicates that Tracinda has reached out to Renault chairman Louis Schweitzer and Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn to alert them to its contact with General Motors, the news agency said.


In a separate letter advising Schweitzer and Ghosn of the GM correspondence, Tracinda reportedly noted that “as we recently discussed with Mr. Ghosn, Tracinda believes that General Motors, Renault and Nissan should explore a three-company, partnership-based alliance.”