Renault Nissan Establish Joint Innovation Hub in China

Leaf assembly in Smyrna Tennessee.

It might have been a bad marriage with an ongoing messy divorce, but Renault and Nissan, the French and Japanese automotive alliance partners have opened a new research and development joint venture in Shanghai, China. It’s the opposite of the parents staying together as the children are sticking it out to survive. The Alliance Automotive Research and Development (Shanghai), Ltd., dubbed as Alliance Innovation Lab Shanghai (AIL-SH) has Renault and Nissan each hold 50% of this new entity.

It conducts research and development on autonomous drive, connected vehicles and electric vehicles. Technologies pioneered by the innovation hub will be potentially applied to Renault and Nissan vehicles sold in China and around the world.

“China is not only the world’s largest auto market but is also at the leading edge of new technologies that will change the face of future mobility” said Takao Asami, Alliance SVP, Research and Advanced Engineering. “From a strategic point of view, it is vital that the Alliance has a development hub in this thriving market, where the Alliance sold more vehicles than anywhere else in 2018. The knowledge and skills obtained here will be leveraged not just inside China but globally, helping to contribute to the demanding objectives of our Alliance 2022 mid-term plan,” Asami continued.

Under the Alliance 2022 mid-term plan, 12 new zero-emission electric vehicles are due to be launched by 2022, and 40 vehicles are to be introduced with different levels of autonomy and over 90% of vehicles will be connected cars globally. The plan also includes a commitment to operating robo-vehicle ride-hailing mobility services.

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi

Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors represent the world’s largest automotive alliance. It is arguably the longest-lasting – thus far – cross-cultural partnership in the auto industry. Together, the partners sold more than 10.7 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries in 2018. The member companies collaborate on  “maximizing synergies to boost competitiveness. They have strategic collaborations with other automotive groups, including Germany’s Daimler and China’s Dongfeng. This strategic alliance is the industry leader in zero-emission vehicles and is developing the latest advanced technologies, with plans to offer autonomous drive, connectivity features and mobility services on a wide range of affordable vehicles.

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