Renault and Nissan have announced the formation of an R&D joint venture in Shanghai, China. The Alliance Automotive Research and Development (Shanghai) will be referred to as the Alliance Innovation Lab Shanghai (AIL-SH), with Renault and Nissan each holding 50% of the entity. The AIL-SH will conduct research and development focused on autonomous technology, connected vehicles and electric vehicles. Technologies developed by the joint venture could potentially be applied to Renault and Nissan vehicles sold in China and around the world.
“China is not only the world’s largest auto market but it is also at the leading edge of new technologies that will change the face of future mobility,” says Takao Asami, Alliance SVP, Research and Advanced Engineering. “From a strategic point of view, it is vital that the Alliance has a development hub in this thriving market, where the Alliance sold more vehicles than anywhere else in 2018. The knowledge and skills obtained here will be leveraged not just inside China but globally, helping to contribute to the demanding objectives of our Alliance 2022 mid-term plan.”
“Shanghai is a leading hub for innovation in China for automotive related technologies and across a range of industries,” adds Kenju Kobayashi, the Alliance global director responsible for the AIL-SH. “By bringing together the talents of the Alliance with the range of expertise found in Shanghai and across China, we will be able to aggressively pursue open innovation that transcends industry boundaries and rapidly develop technologies driving the business growth of Alliance members.”
Under the Alliance 2022 mid-term plan, 12 zero-emission electric vehicles are due to be launched by 2022, 40 vehicles are to be introduced with different levels of autonomy and over 90% of vehicles will be connected cars globally.
