Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

In the latest step forward in the collaboration of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler, Nissan’s Decherd, Tenn., plant will build Mercedes-Benz 4-cylinder engines for Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz starting in 2014.

Dec. 20 –The Mayor of Boulogne-Billancourt Pierre-Christophe Baguet and Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer of Renault, today opened the Renault ZE (Zero Emission) Centre in Boulogne-Billancourt, the first such center to be opened in Europe by a vehicle manufacturer. The center aims to share the ZE experience with all visitors by demonstrating Renault’s EV offering and its ambitions in electric mobility.

Dec. 19 — Wuhan — There’s a new vehicle on the road in Wuhan, a key city in central China, where traffic density is among the nation's highest.

Joule is an electric prototype car from a South African startup, and it's on display at the Climate Change Response Expo at COP17.

Powered by large-cell, lithium-ion batteries, this EV has a top speed of 140 km/h and an estimated range of  230 km (NEDC).

"The five-seater is expected to go into production in 2015, making it the first electric vehicle to be mass produced in the country", says Jaco van Loggerenberg, communications manager at Optimal Energy, the company behind Joele.

• Nissan LEAF becomes 2012 Japan Car of the Year, adding to accolades including 2011 World Car of the Year and 2011 European Car of the Year.

• Renault Kangoo Z.E. is 2012 International Van of the Year – the first time that an electric vehicle has received the award.

• Prizes represent a “clean sweep” for Renault-Nissan, consumers and the planet

By Rakesh Nair, corporate planning, Nissan International

The lyrics ‘When I get older, I will be stronger. They’ll call me freedom, just like a wavin’ flag’ are blaring impetuously from a characteristically modified 80’s Nissan bakkie when it is suddenly overshadowed by The Moses Mahbida Stadium. An irrepressible sight it is, one that beholds and singularly showcases the grandeur the city hosted during the 2010 World Cup. Months have passed since, but the Spirit of Africa remains in every person you meet here.

The most pleasant of smiles, sincerest care, and the loudest of ‘house music’ fills the air as thousands throng the city to conjoin in unison for a positive declaration regarding climate change.

The Climate Change Response Expo is completely dominated by images of the future depicting impact of climate deterioration, showcasing growing needs and deteriorating timelines for developed and fast-developing nations to adhere to a common response to reduce the impact on the environment. It is evident that the change is not for the future but for the present and that is simply the motto of the Renault-Nissan Alliance marquee.

Most people at COP17 in Durban have never driven an electric - let alone seen one up close - so the appearance of Renault Fluence Z.E., Renault Twizy and Nissan LEAF here is causing quite a stir. At our booth, we are busy explaining the cars to a steady stream of visitors, as well as signing them up for test drives. Shuttle services in Renault Fluence and Nissan LEAF are also available for COP17 delegates from various points in the city to the International Conference Center, where the climate change negotiations are taking place.

To see our COP17 photos, go to our multimedia library or click here to download them.

A fleet of zero-emission vehicles from Renault and Nissan is being used to shuttle delegates to and from the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, from Nov. 28-Dec. 9. The Alliance is at COP17 to demonstrate that our zero-emission vehicles - the first mass-produced EVs to ever run on the streets of Africa - offer a real affordable solution for drastically reducing CO2 emissions.  

Watch our video report from Durban

--First time for a fleet of mass-produced, 100% electric vehicles to take to the road in Africa--

DURBAN, South Africa (Nov. 24, 2011) – For the first time ever, a fleet of mass-produced, zero-emission vehicles will take to the streets of Africa.

A dozen electric cars from the Renault-Nissan Alliance will highlight the benefits of green transportation and will provide zero-emission* shuttle services for delegates at the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, Nov. 28-Dec. 9. The 17th annual Conference of Parties (better known as COP17) aims to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.”

All multinational corporations have had their share of crises in the past three years -- particularly those with a substantial footprint in Asia.

In a keynote address to the Japan Society in New York last week, The Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn described what he’s learned in wake of the global liquidity crunch that began with the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008; the March 11 earthquake and tsunami; Thai floods; the relentless strength of Japan’s currency; and Euro zone financial turmoil.