Collaboration Between Daimler and Renault-Nissan Advances Globally, CEOs Say

AsiaNet 54235

FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRN=KYODO JBN/ --

    - Portfolio of jointly developed major projects has jumped from three to ten

    - Nissan and Daimler have completed factory building for the joint

      production of engines in the USA

    The chief executives of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG said

today that their companies' partnership is advancing quickly, and the scope of

the collaboration is increasingly global.

    The French-Japanese-German partnership began in April 2010, with three

"pillar projects" primarily focused on Europe. Since then, the portfolio has

increased to ten significant projects, including major initiatives from North

America to Japan. In addition, relevant business units are working together in

best-practice sharing and other forms of cooperation.

    "While our initial collaboration focused strongly on European projects, we

are now focusing on synergies in all key markets," Renault-Nissan Chairman and

CEO Carlos Ghosn said today at an annual media briefing on the partnership.

"The largest economies of scale are always global."

    "We will continue to seek out new projects together that make sense for all

partners and, most importantly, our customers," Daimler CEO and Head of

Mercedes Benz Cars Dieter Zetsche said.

    The CEOs cited the joint production of Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder gasoline

engines in Decherd

[http://blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/blog/nissan-and-daimler-produce-engines-together-north-america ]

(Tennessee, USA) as a good example of how the

partners profit from the cooperation. Just one and a half years after the

groundbreaking in May 2012, the factory building for the joint production of

Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder gasoline engines is now complete. Production

machinery is now being installed and the start of production is planned for

mid-2014. The engines produced in Decherd will then be used in the

Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which is produced at the Daimler plant in Tuscaloosa

(Alabama,

USA), and in new Infiniti products.

    Joint development work is also proceeding on schedule for a new family of

shared three- and four-cylinder gasoline engines

[http://www.media.blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/news/renault-nissan-and-daimler-expand-scope-of-collaboration-2 ] with turbocharging and direct fuel

injection. The engines will make use of the latest technology and will have

significantly improved fuel consumption.

    For the full release, go to:

http://www.media.blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/news/4456

    Contact:

    Thomas Frohlich,

    +49-711-17-41361 (Daimler AG)

    Mia Nielsen,

    +33(0)6-10-83-31-33 (Renault-Nissan Alliance)

    SOURCE: Renault-Nissan Alliance