The restructuring of the Nissan Motor and Renault partnership isn’t the legacy Carlos Ghosn had in mind.
Monday’s announcement that Renault will gradually reduce its stake in Nissan is a repudiation of the former chairman’s plans to more closely unite an alliance the disgraced former auto titan spent almost two decades building. Instead, the companies are choosing more independent paths to navigate the technological and geographical shifts reshaping the global car industry.
Renault is splitting into two main businesses, one focused on electric vehicles and another on automobiles with legacy combustion engines. Nissan has long sought greater independence since Renault saved it from financial ruin with a well-timed cash injection in 1999 and sent in Ghosn to turn the business around.