Daimler AG and the
Renault-Nissan alliance officially has been signed and the three automakers will collaborate on future products and will exchange shares in each other’s companies.
Daimler has been looking for a partner to help spread the costs of small car development for years.
Under the signed agreement,
Daimler will hold a 3.1-percent stake in Renault-Nissan and the existing alliance partners will hold the exact stake in the German company. They will develop a combined platform that will be used as the basis for the next generations of the
Renault Twingo and Smart cars, including an all new four-seater. The expected launch date of these new vehicles will be 2013 and the current Smart factory in France will continue building the two-seat version. All three vehicles will be available from launch in gas, diesel and electric drive variants.
Powertrains will also be shared for other models between the three automakers.
Renault-Nissan will provide small gas and diesel engines to
Daimler for use in its smaller cars, including presumably the next generation A, B and even C-Class Mercedes-Benz models.
Daimler will provide some of its engines to
Nissan for use in some Infiniti models. The partners will also collaborate on light commercial vehicles, with
Renault providing a new entry-level van to be sold as a Mercedes.
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