Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

Renault has made headlines in Paris and beyond with a “spy story” whose cast includes executives, investigators and politicians. The star is Renault, one of Europe’s most loved brands. The plot appears to touch on intellectual property and zero-emission cars.

The story invites sensationalism by its very nature, like a Hollywood thriller.

Great press conference at the Geneva auto show from Renault’s design chief Laurens Van Den Acker who took the limelight to unveil two new concepts – and the pricing for the Twizy EV, a price that took most observers by surprise.

Did you know that Nissan has the broadest range of any car maker? It was a message that wasn’t lost on the journalists who thronged to the Geneva show press conference to see the unveiling of the zero emission ESFLOW.

Feb.15th, 2011 Shanghai - The Renault-Nissan Alliance has inaugurated its China Warehouse in Shanghai, the new step in the cooperation between the two partners on after-sales in the country.

Plant will supply batteries for Alliance’s electric vehicles in Europe

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has begun construction of a state-of-the-art, advanced lithium-ion battery plant in Cacia, Portugal to support the rollout of electric vehicles from the Renault-Nissan Alliance in Europe.

Dear Mr. Betts,

I read the letter with great interest that you published on January 27, 2011 which you addressed to my CEO, Carlos Ghosn. By means of introduction, I am a member of the Renault-Nissan Alliance management board and have spent my last twenty professional years almost evenly divided between Renault and Nissan. Over that period of time, I have worked for Carlos Ghosn both as a Nissan employee and as a Renault employee, giving me a unique perspective on the Alliance, and also on the man himself.

The Century's Leadership Challenge, the 9AM session held in Congress Hall, grappled with the concept of shared norms, the differences in 21st century thinking, gender and generational diversity, and so on. Certainly qualified for the task was the panel of distinguished guests, of which Mr. Ghosn was the lone business leader, including Sharan Burrow (General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation), Salam Fayyad (Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority), Herman Van Rompuy (President, European Council of the European Union), Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva and was moderated by Al Jazeera anchor Riz Khan.

In the months leading up to WEF at Davos, there's been a running dialogue about how to characterize the emerging markets. The term BRICs, created by Jim O'Neill, has met expectations and those four engines of growth, particularly China and India, now play major roles in setting the pace of the global economy. So what to call the "next" emerging economies?

Walking through the Congress Center is like flipping through an illustrated history of the modern world. The faces and personalities of those who step in and out of various sessions and meetings are so familiar - and yet unusually 3-dimensional. George Soros shaking hands with throngs of suited Davos visitors; France's President Sarkozy, making his way through the path cleared by his security entourage, after speaking on the need for the IMF to supervize and stabilize economic imbalances. To a first-time visitor, the celebrity and influence of those gathered here are unmatched.

In between meetings at the Hub, Mr. Ghosn spoke with PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi about the Nissan LEAF and Renault Fluence Z.E. As they stood staring at the Leaf charging outside, she asked what battery it uses. Mr. Ghosn's response: "Ours." He described the cooperation that Nissan has in battery development with NEC, the joint venture called AESC. She said she'll be back for a test drive tomorrow.