Right now, the Alliance urgently needs a key person to fix the relationship.
Editor’s note: This article is from “Future Car Daily” (WeChat public ID: auto-time), author: Li Huanhuan.
After Nissan CEO changed hands, Renault’s current CEO, Thierry Bollore, may also face a downfall.
On October 9, France’s “Le Figaro” reported that Renault’s chairman Jean-Dominique Sennad intends to appoint a new CEO, “forcing” the current CEO Bologre to step down, this may be It will be presented at the board meeting on October 18. Renault’s largest shareholder, the French government, is very likely to support this decision.
It is understood that the French government has always been skeptical about the role of CEO of Bololei, because Boller is very close to his predecessor and former Nissan CEO. Renault and Nissan formed an alliance on March 27, 1999. For a long time, Ghosn also served as CEO of Renault and Nissan. In November 2018, Ghosn was arrested by the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds that he was suspected of reporting too little of his own compensation and violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Shortly after Ghosn’s arrest, Bollore’s internal efforts to support Ghosn’s internal mail caused strong dissatisfaction with Nissan.
In fact, because the shareholding ratio of the two parties is “unequal” (Renault holds 43.4% of Nissan’s shares, Nissan only has 15% of Renault’s non-voting shares), and product development ideas are divided, etc., Renault-Nissan Alliance Already quite sloppy. Ghoen’s arrest led to further collapse of the alliance. According to media reports, the functional departments of Renault’s and Nissan’s joint operations were closed.
Christopher Rickett, a car analyst at CLSA, even believes that the Renault Nissan Alliance has long existed in name only.
At the moment, the Alliance urgently needs a key person to fix the relationship. But obviously, Borole has been unable to shoulder this heavy responsibility, and the possibility of being forced to step down is indeed great.
On October 8, the British “Financial Times” reported that Nissan has appointed Uchida as the new CEO, and Renault is speeding up to find the CEO successor.
Because this is not only the key to restarting alliance cooperation, but also the hope of saving its predicament in China.
The data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in August 2019, Dongfeng Renault sold 1,050 units, a sharp drop of 64% year-on-year. this yearFrom January to August, the cumulative sales volume was 11,300 units, which is even less than one-third of the sales volume of some hot-selling models.
The industry believes that the single model is the biggest problem of Renault. Dongfeng Renault and Renault imported cars are only available in five models. Eno, Correga, Koleo, imported Kabin and imported Espace, except for Espace, are SUV models. Renault, which lacks car products, is almost all bet on the SUV market segment, and the risks are obvious. In 2018, the SUV market has shrunk, and Renault sales have been greatly affected.
In addition, problems such as low brand recognition, high inventory, and difficulty in meeting consumer demand have plagued Renault. If you can find a leader who is familiar with the Chinese market, it may rekindle the hope of Renault.
