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Japanese automaker Nissan may be planning a noticeable withdrawal from Europe. This is suggested by a report by Reuters news agency, which is based on Nissan experts. After that, Nissan plans to scale down its European business in favor of concentrating on the car markets in China, Japan and the United States. The Group officially wants to comment on this on May 28, then a new strategy document has been announced. According to Reuters, a complete abandonment of the European business is likely not planned: the two successful SUVs, Qashqai and Juke, will continue to be offered in Europe.
If there was something wrong with the rumor, the move would be a surprise. Nissan only adapted its European strategy two years ago: move away from diesel quickly; instead, future electrified units should reduce CO2nd– Helps to comply with the limit values. In autonomous driving, Nissan planned to democratize the technology in the economy vehicle segments to quickly obtain large quantities. Until last year, when it had to surrender the Tesla Model 3 title, Nissan Leaf was the best-selling electric car in Europe. The brand recently revealed its plans for a new generation of electric cars. And with the Qashqai, Nissan pioneered the triumphal march of the crossover SUV in Europe.
Disruptive maneuvers in the War of the Roses?
Perhaps the drilling of the new strategy is also a further step in the war of roses between Nissan and the partner of the French alliance Renault. The two brands have been working closely together in strategy, development and purchasing since 1999. Rather than merging structures, they cooperate as independent companies and connect with each other through mutual capital investments. Since 2002, these have been transferred to a joint holding company based in Amsterdam.
Main architect of the connection: Carlos Ghosn (66). The Brazilian-Lebanese-French Renault manager restructured Nissan with resounding success since 1999, became CEO in 2001 and took over as CEO at Renault in 2005. When Mitsubishi also became part of the alliance in 2016, Ghosn He became the head of the board of directors there and moved to the same position at Nissan a year later.
Fight since the fall of Ghosn
A success story: Until November 19, 2018: According to Nissan management, internal audits have shown signs of infidelity and tax evasion. Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo, released, arrested again. Gradually he lost all posts in the alliance; He portrayed himself in a prison video in April last year as the victim of an internal intrigue at Nissan. In January of this year, he finally managed to escape Japan spectacularly, hidden in a suitcase for audio equipment.
Since the fall of the former star manager, alliance partners Nissan and Renault have been slow. On the Renault side, Ghosn’s arrest was seen as Nissan’s attempt to gain the upper hand in the alliance. Nissan, on the other hand, fueled speculation that Ghosn had secretly made preparations for a definitive acquisition of Nissan by Renault, which Nissan could never accept. When Renault negotiated a merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles FCA in June 2019, Nissan faced the threat that the alliance would have to be reevaluated. FCA withdrew its merger offer; from the dream of the third largest automotive company in the world. Like a return car, Renault interfered with Nissan’s senior management personnel policy.
Possible division of labor?
So Nissan wants to provoke Renault again with the new strategy document to improve its position in the alliance? According to Reuters, Renault should focus on the highly competitive and price sensitive European market, Nissan wants to primarily serve the US. The US, Japan and China’s potential growth market; the document doesn’t seem to sound the same if the two partners are on the same list.
However, after record years in Europe in 2016 and 2017, Nissan recently suffered losses. In the summer of 2019, the brand announced that it would have to cut almost 15,000 jobs worldwide due to declining sales in Europe and the US. USA The Nissan Infiniti luxury brand, which is doing well in the United States but has never been able to establish itself in Europe, already said goodbye to Europe in late 2019. A clear distribution of competencies would also bring new calm to the alliance. According to Reuters, Nissan is also lagging behind when it comes to launching new models in the domestic market: the refocus could strengthen its position in Japan.
Mitsubishi could become the third laugh in the discussion. According to Reuters, the brand should Offer plug-in hybrid technology for all future Allianz models, while Renault should focus on pure electrical units.
