New six-year Alliance plan includes EVs, autonomous drives and more

Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will accelerate collaboration on common platforms, powertrains and next-generation electric, autonomous and connected technologies.

Under Alliance 2022, the member companies will increase their use of common platforms, with nine million units based on four common platforms. The plan will also extend the use of common powertrains to 75% of total sales.

Alliance 2022 plans a major expansion in shared electric vehicle technologies, alongside the development and deployment of advanced autonomous drive (AD) systems, vehicle connectivity and new mobility services.

Twelve new zero-emission EVs will be launched by 2022, utilising new common electric vehicle platforms and components for multiple segments.

Over the same period, 40 vehicles will be introduced with different levels of autonomy, all the way to fully autonomous capability. Becoming an operator of robo-vehicle ride-hailing services is a major part of the new mobility services strategy.

Other aims include more than 600km EV range reached by 2022, a 30% decrease in battery cost from 2016 to 2022, 15 minutes charging time to deliver a range of 230km by 2022 (up from 90km in 2016), and flat battery packaging to provide additional cabin space and greater styling flexibility.

The Alliance has launched a new logo and online presence too.

Its six-year plan announced on September 15 sets a target of doubling annual synergies to 10 billion euros (NZ$16 billion) within that time.

“Our total annual sales are forecast to exceed 14 million units, generating revenues expected at NZ$329 billion by the end of the plan,” Alliance chairman and chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn says.

“The Alliance has grown and performed with two members since 1999. With Alliance 2022, we will prove that we will grow and perform with three companies or more.”

This year, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors became the world’s largest automotive group by sales volume. In the first half of 2017, volumes increased by 7% year-on-year to 5.27 million units, whilst aggregate sales of electric vehicles reached a combined total of more than 500,000 units.

By the end of the plan, the member companies will share 22 engines out of a total of 31.

The common platform strategy – based on the CMF architecture – will be extended to a new common EV platform with advanced autonomous drive capability and to a new B-segment common platform for mid-sized vehicles.

Mitsubishi Motors will gain access to the CMF architecture and utilise common powertrains by 2020. Adoption of Mitsubishi’s new PHEV technology as the common C/D segment PHEV solution by 2022 is also planned.