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Renault and Nissan in talks that could reshape autos alliance

PARIS/TOKYO – Renault and Nissan said on Monday they were in talks about the future of their alliance, including the Japanese automaker considering investing in a new electric vehicle venture by its French partner. The talks, which could prompt the biggest reset in the alliance since the 2018 arrest of longtime executive Carlos Ghosn, have included consideration of Renault selling some of its Nissan stake, two people with knowledge of them said. Negotiations are expected to continue ahead of a Renault investor presentation in early November, when the French carmaker is expected to give an update on its new EV unit, which is code-named "Ampere." Renault owns about 43% of Nissan, which in turn has a 15% stake in its long-term partner. The French state also has a 15% holding in Renault. Shares in Renault rose by as much as 6% in early trading, making the stock the best performer on France's benchmark CAC-40 equity index. They were up 3.54% by 1105 GMT. Renault and Nissan said in a joint statement that they were "engaged in trustful discussions around several initiatives" including a potential Nissan investment in the EV venture and what they called "structural improvements" in their alliance. Renault CEO Luca De Meo, who was in Japan over the weekend, and Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida have been central to talks about reshaping its terms, a person familiar with the talks said. A group of Nissan executives, including Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta, have also been involved in developing discussions in recent months, the person said. Renault is looking to win Nissan as an investor in its new EV venture, which it is setting up alongside a separate combustion engine unit, essentially splitting out the higher-growth and investment-hungry portion of its auto business. In exchange for investing in the EV venture, Nissan is looking to Renault to reduce its stake in the Japanese automaker, a person familiar with the talks said. The French dominance of the alliance has long been a point of contention for Nissan, which wants Renault to cut its stake to 15% to draw level with its own holding in Renault, the source familiar with the matter told Reuters. For Nissan, the talks could represent a chance to reset a structure that many executives at the Japanese firm have seen as unbalanced, given the way vehicle development work between the two carmakers has progressed in recent years.

Nissan rolls out updated Juke-R 2.0 at Goodwood

If you thought the original Nissan Juke-R was badass, just check out this latest version. Called the Juke-R 2.0, it's making its debut as promised this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, packing a series of upgrades to make it even more potent than the original version. And not the least of those is a new, 600-horsepower engine. For those who don't recall, Nissan first launched the Juke-R four years ago – the year after the production Juke first hit the market. The idea was to cross-breed the little crossover with a GT-R and create what was billed as the world's first crossover supercar. Version 2.0 takes the idea even further. In place of the 545-horsepower twin-turbo V6 from the GT-R available at the time it was built, the Juke-R 2.0 packs the upgraded 600-horsepower engine from the GT-R Nismo. It also incorporates the enhancements applied to the facelifted Juke revealed last year, including its revised lighting and bodywork. Only the Juke-R 2.0 also features entirely new bumpers front and rear, wheel arches, side sills, and more, all crafted from carbon fiber and coated in matte black. Nissan isn't saying exactly what she'll do. Considering, however, that the existing version could sprint from a standstill to 60 in three seconds flat, the added power could only make it even quicker. Le Mans driver Jann Mardenborough will be driving up the hill at Goodwood, and we doubt it'll take him much time at all to reach the top. THE NISSAN JUKE-R GETS AN EXCITING UPGRADE - INTRODUCING THE JUKE-R 2.0 - Nissan upgrades its legendary original Juke-R Crossover supercar - The Juke-R 2.0 concept makes its global dynamic debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed (26-28 June in the UK) - Drawing on impressive performance from the GT-R, the Juke-R 2.0 will reach 600bhp - LM P1 driver and GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough to showcase the Juke-R 2.0 up the famous Goodwood hill - Launched this Summer to kick start the fifth anniversary of the Nissan Juke The birth of the Nissan Juke-R set a benchmark in 2011 as the world's first Crossover supercar, marrying Nissan's innovative Juke with the engine and running gear from the legendary Nissan GT-R - the brand's flagship sportscar. Now four years on, Juke-R has been given an exciting upgrade to reflect the latest model of the Juke coupled with even more power and bolder styling - welcome the Juke-R 2.0.

Next-gen Nissan Leaf will look more mainstream, have more range

The next-generation Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle will look better and go farther on a single charge, company executives tell Automotive News. How much better and how much farther remains to be seen, as does the timing on when the new version will be available to the public. Nissan executive Andy Palmer, speaking recently at the Beijing Motor Show, implied that an electric vehicle would need to have a 185-mile single-charge range to be competitive with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, once those arrive in larger numbers. While Nissan boosted its single-charge range by about 15 percent for the 2014 model-year Leaf, the automaker would need to double it to reach that competitive threshold. This seems unlikely for the next-gen model, but we can start making our guesses as to how many more miles Nissan will put into the pack. Regardless, the next-generation Leaf, which may come out around 2017, will at least look a bit more mainstream while it reaches for more range, Automotive News says, citing Nissan global design chief Mamoru Aoki. Indeed, the car, which will keep its hatchback layout, will likely look less angular, said Aoki, who complimented Tesla for the way it styled its Model S luxury electric sedan. Nissan's Infiniti arm could also debut its delayed luxury electric vehicle in 2017, complete with the improved battery pack. Angular looks and all, Nissan continues to increase sales in the US. Leaf sales through April were up 33 percent from 2013, to 7,272 units after more than doubling sales last year to 22,610 vehicles.