9:25 am, January 30, 2023
Renault and Nissan have equalised their shareholdings at 15 per cent in an attempt to repair their alliance and have agreed greater co-operation on EVs.
Renault Group will transfer 28.4 per cent of the Nissan shares it owns into a French trust, so its stake will be the same 15 per cent that Nissan has in the French vehicle maker.
Voting rights would be ‘neutralised’ for most decisions, the two companies said.
The move had been anticipated because of leaks to various media outlets.
The Nissan-Renault alliance began in 1999, at a time when the Japanese car maker was in tough financial straits.
In 2016, the alliance grew to include Mitsubishi Motors.
The disparity was a cause of friction, especially after Nissan became far more profitable than Renault.
The alliance remains one of the world’s largest auto groups.
But it has had ups and downs since it began in 1999, when Renault sent one of its executives, Carlos Ghosn, to then-struggling Nissan to lead a turnaround.
Ghosn first served as Nissan’s chief executive and later its chairman before he was arrested in late 2018 on various financial misconduct charges.
The Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance has been eager to put the Ghosn scandal behind it.
Allegations against Ghosn include under-reporting income, using investment funds for personal gain and the illicit use of company expenses, including overseas homes and a yacht.
Ghosn said he is innocent of all charges. He jumped bail in late 2019 and is now in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.
The equalisation of the crossholdings has been speculated about for some time. The agreement on the change is still being finalised and needs board approvals from both companies.
The companies called the move ‘an important milestone’.
‘The ambition is to strengthen the ties of the alliance and maximise value creation for all stakeholders with a three-stage approach,’ said Nissan.
The agreement calls for Nissan to invest in Ampere, an electric vehicle and software company founded by Renault.
The companies will also work together on marketing, vehicles and technology in Latin America, India and Europe.
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