Renault-Nissan Alliance joins with Mitsubishi Motors
A new global electric car and two saloons will be co-developed under the new collaboration
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has today announced it is to join forces with Mitsubishi Motors, as the trio plans to explore several new projects together.
The existing NMKV joint venture between Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors was launched back in 2011 and after the success of the Dayz and Mitsubishi eK wagon – which went on sale in Japan this year – the venture has been expanded across the broader Renault-Nissan Alliance.
The expansion will allow the three brands to share the latest-generation platforms and technologies, with the focus being on electric vehicles and advanced technologies.
However, the first models to be launched under the new collaboration will be two new saloons, which will wear the Mitsubishi badge but be based on Renault underpinnings. The first will be a D-segment model similar in size to a VW Passat produced exclusively for the North American markets, while the second will be a VW Golf-sized model competing in the global C-segment market.
Between Nissan and Mitsubishi, the manufacturers will co-develop a new small car including a specific electric version that can be sold on a global basis. It will be based on a previous jointly developed Kei car – a Japanese category of small vehicles – but further details are yet to be announced.
“Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors have jointly benefited from several collaborations in the past, most recently the successful joint-venture on Kei cars in Japan,” said President and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Carlos Ghosn, “I welcome the direction being taken towards this broader cooperation, creating new opportunities for Renault in addition to further leveraging the productive relationship between Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors.”
