Macron calls for 'synergies, alliances' to strengthen Renault-Nissan

French President Emmanuel Macron's come weeks after merger talks between Renault and Italian-American group Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) were called off after FCA grew frustrated with the role the French state was playing.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to the Japan-France summit at Abe's official residence in Tokyo on June 26, 2019.
AFP

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to the Japan-France summit at Abe's official residence in Tokyo on June 26, 2019.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for further synergies and alliances to strengthen the Renault-Nissan partnership in a global market.

"We created a giant which we must not only preserve but develop synergies and alliances to strengthen it in the face of international competition."

His comments appeared to leave open the possibility both of a deeper integration of the 20-year-old Renault-Nissan alliance, which has been shaken by the scandal over its former chief Carlos Ghosn, and tie-ups with other manufacturers.

Nissan on Tuesday threw cold water on hopes for a quick fix to strained relations with France's Renault SA , saying inequality between the partners could unravel their two-decade-old automaking alliance.

Last month, Renault and Italian-American group Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced they were in merger talks. But the discussions were called off after FCA grew frustrated with the role the French state was playing, especially its need to secure agreement from Nissan over how to move the merger forward.

Since the break-off of the FCA talks, Renault executives have been looking to rebuild ties with Nissan, which is keen to reduce the influence the French state has in the alliance via its 15 percent stake in Renault.

Renault owns 43 percent of the Japanese automaker, which in turn holds a 15 percent, non-voting stake in its partner.

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