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Nissan sees no ‘negative aspect’ to Renault and FCA’s merger

After a meeting with Renault, Nissan doesn't seem to have any major objections to the French car maker's potential merger with Fiat Chrysler.


Nissan has reportedly rebuffed plans to merge with Renault, but the Japanese automaker is unlikely to oppose the proposed merger between Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Renault.

"Overall, we don't see any particularly negative aspect," Hiroto Saikawa, Nissan CEO, told reporters (including those from Reuters) after a meeting of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance board.

He also said whether FCA and Renault should merge is an "issue for the two companies to decide", although he did note "if possible we would like to see an outcome which is also supportive of our interests".

Reuters reports Nissan believes it could profit from the merger, should it go ahead. Renault and Nissan pay royalties to each other whenever they use platforms, technology or drivetrains developed by the other party.

According to one source: "FCA, if everything went well, would become another ‘client’ of ours and that’s good. More business for us."

Jean-Dominique Senard, Renault chairman, told the press (via Bloomberg) that Nissan "understood the message I brought here, although obviously they can’t digest it in one night".

Senard will soon return to Europe to continue work on the proposed merger, which he believes won't run into major regulatory problems. Both the French and Italian governments have indicated they back the plan.

Like all mergers, the two companies hope to save significant amounts of money through "synergies". Senard says this will not be achieved through "human sacrifice" – no factories are slated for closure.

Instead, the projected €5 billion ($8.1 billion) of savings will come through increased platform sharing, improved economies of scale, joint procurement and reduced development costs.

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