Alpine

French and British sports car specialists Alpine and Lotus have announced plans to explore a range of potential collaboration opportunities and joint projects between the two brands – one of which could be an all-electric sports car.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo has suggested Alpine could be cultivated to become a "mini Ferrari". According to UK publication Auto Express, Italian-born de Meo said the Renault-owned Alpine brand could combine expertise from its Formula One team with "quasi-artisanal" work conducted at the Alpine factory to produce vehicles akin to those made by Ferrari.

Renault-owned sports car brand Alpine could go all-electric in the future, according to international reports. According to UK publication Autocar, Renault is considering the move as part of a restructure that aims to save the brand £1.7 million (AU$3.1 billion).

Renault and Nissan are reportedly in talks to rebalance their alliance with the aim of restarting Renault's proposed merger with Fiat Chrysler (FCA). Sources have told The Wall Street Journal about the discussions, which centre around plans to reduce Renault's 43.4 per cent shareholding in Nissan. Any reduction in Renault's Nissan stake would require the approval of the French government, which holds a 15 per cent share and supersized voting rights in the French automaker.

Waymo, Google's self-driving car unit, has signed a deal to commercialise autonomous vehicle services with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. According to the companies, this new agreement is "exclusive... for an initial period" and will see the partners "explore all aspects" of autonomous vehicle services in France and Japan, including passenger services and cargo delivery.