The Renault-Nissan Alliance had global sales of 9.96 million vehicles during 2016. The car group also continued its leadership in zero-emission vehicles with cumulative sales of ~425,000 electric vehicles since the introduction of the Nissan LEAF in 2010, followed by the Renault ZOE. The Alliance sales figures were bolstered by struggling Mitsubishi Motors with sales of 934,013 vehicles globally. Mitsubishi Motors joined the Alliance last fall with Nissan’s acquisition of a 34% equity stake in the company. The Alliance brands accounted for about one in nine cars sold worldwide last year. (Ghosn Defends Mitsubishi Bailout in Face of Criticism, and Nissan Buys 37% of Scandal-Beset Mitsubishi Motors for $2.2B)
“The combination of Groupe Renault, Nissan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors creates a new force in the global auto industry,” Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn claimed. “The strength of this innovative partnership that began 18 years ago has allowed us to improve our competitiveness, boost our growth and engage in the race for the vehicle of the future.”
Through Nissan’s partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan claims synergy benefits worth 24 billion yen in fiscal year 2017, rising to 60 billion yen in fiscal year 2018 and beyond. The Alliance claims this will contribute to increased earnings per share worth an estimated 4 yen per share in fiscal year 2017 and 10 yen per share in fiscal year 2018 – on top of any earnings accretion linked to Nissan’s overall shareholding in Mitsubishi Motors.
AVTOVAZ, which sells cars under the LADA brand, sold 284,807 vehicles. Together, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and AVTOVAZ sell about one in three cars in Russia.
Electric Vehicles
The Renault-Nissan Alliance, with Mitsubishi Motors, cumulatively sold 424,797 electric vehicles through 2016, making it the leader in EVs. The Nissan LEAF, the first mainstream, mass-marketed electric vehicle, remains the world’s best-selling EV with more than 250,000 (Including Venucia E30 sales in China) vehicles sold since its launch in December 2010. In addition to the LEAF, Nissan also sells the e-NV200, a light commercial vehicle sold mainly in Europe and Japan since 2014.
Renault has sold more than 112,000 electric vehicles worldwide since 2011, including the Renault ZOE, Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., the SM3 Z.E. and the Twizy. Renault was at the top of the European EV market last year, with sales up by 11% at 25,648 units (excluding Twizy). ZOE led the EV ranking with 21,735 sold. Renault Pro+ recently announced the addition of two new commercial EVs to its lineup: The New Kangoo Z.E. and Master Z.E. In 2016, the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Mitsubishi Motors i-Miev series, sold 94,265 EVs, up more than 8% from 2015.
