Reports from Paris show that the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Sunday he is opposed to a full merger of Renault and Nissan, but wants to “preserve the alliance.” The two companies have been in a tech and capital partnership since 1999, making it one of the most enduring tie-ups in the sector. Renault holds a 43.4% stake in Nissan, while one of its subsidiaries controls 15% of its French partner.
Nissan has also decided to stop using Takata’s air bag inflators containing ammonium nitrate, joining a host of major automakers. “We will…work to replace the inflators in vehicles under recall as quickly as possible,” Nissan said in a statement. Since 2008, more than 30M cars have been called back over the potentially defective components, which have been linked to eight deaths and more than 100 injuries.
UK Car production Falls – Again
UK car manufacturing output fell -15.3% in October, the eighth consecutive month of decline, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 77,484 units left factory gates, 14,037 fewer than in the same month last year, with plants continuing their retooling to enable production of the next
