Renault and Nissan have established a new research and development joint venture in Shanghai, China. The automotive R&D company, which will be referred to as Alliance Innovation Lab Shanghai (AIL-SH), will focus on autonomous drive, connected and electric vehicles.
“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,” said Takao Asami, Alliance SVP, research and advanced engineering. “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.”
Renault and Nissan each hold a 50% share of this new entity and technologies pioneered will potentially be applied to Renault and Nissan vehicles sold in China and around the world.
Kenju Kobayashi, the Alliance global director responsible for the AIL-SH, said, “Shanghai is a leading hub
for innovation in China for automotive-related technologies and across a range of industries. 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.”