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As Renault and Nissan discuss restructuring their long-standing relationship, sharing technology is an issue, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
This month, the French and Japanese automakers said that they were in talks about the partnership’s future, including a potential investment by Nissan in a Renault-spun electric vehicle company.
Among those discussions was the idea of selling some of Renault’s 43% ownership of Nissan, with senior managing director Carlos pushing Ghosn aside.
The sharing of intellectual property has been a focus of these talks, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information is private.
French dominance in the alliance has long been a point of contention, as non-voting Nissan owns only 15% of Renault’s stake. Many executives at Japanese automakers believe the relationship is imbalanced, especially in development.
For the French automaker, “restarting” means the relationship has to be more than financial, he said, one of the people involved. “What matters is what Nissan brings in intellectual property, engineering and joint projects,” the person said.