Japanese Government Might Have Killed FCA Renault Alliance

It seems the Japanese government wasn’t exactly happy about Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s offer to become equal partners with Renault. According to a recent report, the Japanese feared such an arrangement would hurt Nissan.

Arguably, the alliance with Renault has already done considerable harm to Nissan. There’s a growing consensus that Nissan has been taken advantage of and won’t truly soar once more as a brand until it’s rid of its French counterpart.

Anyway, apparently Japan communicated its concerns to the French government, which owns the largest stake in Renault. That’s when France pushed for more time in the negotiations between FCA and Renault. Remember how FCA cited the political climate in France for the reason it withdrew the offer? That seems to square with this story, which is being told by unnamed sources who probably fear major fallout if their names are connected to this information leak.

Nobody from the automakers or governments want to talk about the leak. To do so would make a messy situation even worse. Renault, of course, wants to keep Nissan onboard and happy, while still maintaining control of the Alliance. Nissan, on the other hand, seems focused on either ditching the Alliance or making it an equal partnership.

This isn’t the last we’ve heard about tensions between Nissan and Renault.

Source: Bloomberg