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Renault, Nissan officially reboot their auto alliance for post-Ghosn era

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida looks on as Renault CEO Luca De Meo and Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato shake hands during a news conference to unveil new agreement between Nissan and Renault on Monday in London.   LONDON — Automakers Renault and Nissan on Monday formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky, culminating in the spectacular fall of top executive Carlos Ghosn, who had led successful turnarounds at both companies before his arrest and daring escape. The boards of both companies approved equalizing the stake each automaker holds in the other to 15%, bringing a better balance in the French-Japanese alliance, which also includes smaller Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. The uneven shareholdings had been viewed at times as a source of conflict. Until now, Renault Group of France owned 43.4% of Nissan Motor Co., while the Japanese automaker owned 15% of Renault. “We have been waiting a long time for this moment,” Renault board Chairman Jean Dominique Senard said at a news conference in London, calling it a “new era." Nissan intends to invest up to 15% in Ampere, RenaultÂ’s electric vehicle and software entity in Europe that Mitsubishi also will consider investing in. The automakers said they will collaborate in markets worldwide, including Latin America, Europe and India. The moves come at a time when the extremely competitive auto industry is undergoing a major shift toward electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly models. The long speculated changes to the carmaker alliance were announced a week ago. Shares equivalent to a 28.4% stake will be transferred to a French trust, according to the companies. Renault, whose top shareholder is the French government, and Nissan agreed on an orderly sale of that stake, although there will be no deadline. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida vowed to take the alliance to “the next level of transformation” to adapt to a new era. “This is not a choice but a need,” he said. In theory, partnerships are a good way for automakers to cut costs by sharing parts, production and technology, especially when the industry is going through such dramatic change with EVs. That also means that, once formed, ending an alliance can be difficult because the companiesÂ’ development, manufacturing and products get so closely tied together. Still, partnerships can stumble because of the different corporate cultures of the automakers, especially when it involves a meeting of the West and East.

Nissan presents NV200 is the brave new face of London taxis [w/video]

In most cities, just about any vehicle can serve as a taxi - so long as it meets the owner/operator's requirements for reliability, comfort and utility. But certain cities have their own unique taxis, and Nissan has been working hard to corner those markets. It has already designed specific taxis for such locations as New York, Barcelona and Tokyo, but its latest effort will bring a new Hackney Carriage to the streets of London.
A year and a half ago, Nissan displayed its NV200 on the streets of London in traditional black livery. But this new design takes the customization for the British capital one step further. Working closely with the mayor's office and with cab drivers across the city, Nissan's European design center in the Paddington district has reskinned the NV200 specifically to serve as the new black cab in London. The new face features round headlights, a new grille, LED lighting and a restyled front bumper. The steering has also been reconfigured to meet the 25-foot turning circle requirements for Hackney Carriages, as the black cabs are known on the streets of London.
The result is a distinctly British take on the NV200 taxi - one that we're guessing won't go without its fair share of controversy. Nissan will begin offering the black cab at the end of the year with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine mated to an automatic transmission, a powertrain said to be cleaner than the diesels used in existing taxis. And Nissan should know, having supplied many of those 2.7-liter turbodiesels in the '80s and '90s. But if that's not clean enough, the Japanese automaker will also begin selling an electric version, the e-NV200, starting next year. Watch the video clip and read the full details in the press release below.

Nissan buys jalopy Maxima after seeing filmmaker's epic sales ad

When Luke Akers wanted to sell his 1996 Nissan Maxima GLE - yes, the one seen above that needs a ratchet strap to keep the front end from bursting with joy - the Florida filmmaker turned on his cameras and yelled "Quiet on set!" The result is a one-minute videographic homage to mankind's monuments, narrated with all the intensity of a BBC documentary to sell a 17-year-old sports sedan that comes "fully loaded with an engine, wheels, tires and an automatic transmission."
Just like the car in question, the ad did its job: Nissan bought the Maxima from Akers and the company donated another $1,000 to his charity of choice. Three cheers to both Akers and Nissan for their work. You can check out the video below, and head to the Ikonik Films site for the humorous print ads that were also part of the campaign.