Photo: smart
With partnership fiascos such as the Toyota-Subaru joint venture to produce the somewhat disappointing GT-86/BRZ, it's nice to see other carmakers getting along so well.
At a first glance, The Daimler and Renault-Nissan alliance looks like a very one-sided relationship. That feeling persists even at a second, or third glance. You can count Daimler's involvement on the fingers of one hand - no, you can count them on only one finger. The only clear contribution is lending the A-Class compact platform on which Infiniti, Nissan's luxury brand will be building the Q30.
Apart from that, it's all Renault. They kicked it off with the Mercedes-Benz Citan, a rebadged Renault Kangoo, they have lent the 1.5 and 1.6 dCi diesel engines for various Mercedes-Benz models, they are using their plants to build the jointly developed Renault Twingo and smart forfour, and the list could continue. There's even a Mercedes-Benz pickup truck in the making, and guess who's providing the know-how for that?
Now, Renault's involvement in this partnership is set to expand even further. It has just been announced that the future smart electric vehicles will be using a Renault-sourced electric motor. Predictably, it's the same as the one on the Renault Zoe EV, which is actually good news as it does a great job moving the French small car.
Both smart models, the fortwo and forfour, will be getting an EV version, but they won't be built in the same plant. The smaller one will be assembled in Daimler's Hambach facility in France, while the four seater will be built in Slovenia alongside the Renault Twingo subcompact.
The batteries, however, will be produced by the Daimler's subsidiary, Deutsche ACCUmotive, in Kamenz, Germany.
It's easy to compare both companies' involvement and come up with a conclusion, but things are surely more complex than what the public can see. By the looks of it, if nothing dramatic happens, this has all the makings of becoming the most successful partnership in the automotive industry ever.
Apart from that, it's all Renault. They kicked it off with the Mercedes-Benz Citan, a rebadged Renault Kangoo, they have lent the 1.5 and 1.6 dCi diesel engines for various Mercedes-Benz models, they are using their plants to build the jointly developed Renault Twingo and smart forfour, and the list could continue. There's even a Mercedes-Benz pickup truck in the making, and guess who's providing the know-how for that?
Now, Renault's involvement in this partnership is set to expand even further. It has just been announced that the future smart electric vehicles will be using a Renault-sourced electric motor. Predictably, it's the same as the one on the Renault Zoe EV, which is actually good news as it does a great job moving the French small car.
Both smart models, the fortwo and forfour, will be getting an EV version, but they won't be built in the same plant. The smaller one will be assembled in Daimler's Hambach facility in France, while the four seater will be built in Slovenia alongside the Renault Twingo subcompact.
The batteries, however, will be produced by the Daimler's subsidiary, Deutsche ACCUmotive, in Kamenz, Germany.
It's easy to compare both companies' involvement and come up with a conclusion, but things are surely more complex than what the public can see. By the looks of it, if nothing dramatic happens, this has all the makings of becoming the most successful partnership in the automotive industry ever.
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