One of the earliest areas for Renault and Nissan to explore at the start of the Alliance was how best to share powertrains, something we have become rather good at with huge savings for both companies as a result.

So what is an Alliance, or common, powertrain?

You don’t need me to tell you what a difficult year 2009 was for the global car industry.

We have received many questions on the Alliance blog about the “new alliance of Renault-Nissan with Daimler” and whether this would be a new opportunity for Renault to enter the US market.

Looking back at the past 11 years, the Renault-Nissan Alliance have been through a remarkable journey.  Together, we have navigated the road of progress, successes, challenges, obstacles and opportunities.  

“...I want to talk about the financial meltdown of 2008 and 2009… about how governments intervened during this time of crisis… and about how those interventions have changed the course of the global automobile industry for years to come.  “

Thank you, Dr. Zetsche… and good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

The famous German philosopher Georg Hegel once said: “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”

One of the great strengths of the Alliance is its diversity – it’s our way of doing business. Showing respect for the varied cultures we have within the companies allows us to capitalise on that diversity, which in turn makes the Alliance stronger and longer lasting.

On a recent trip to India, the media repeatedly asked me why the Alliance has chosen to work with multiple partners in that market.  Partnerships and strategic alliances are not new for the auto industry, but the way in which the Alliance has chosen to work in India seems to raise constant questions.

Let’s clear up some confusion which arose at the Geneva Motor Show about the Nissan V-Platform. The V stands for versatile and that’s exactly what it is.