DETROIT: For years, France’s Renault and Japan’s Nissan struggled to make money in the global auto business.
Then came Carlos Ghosn, a Renault executive who helped to orchestrate an unprecedented transcontinental alliance, combining parts of both companies to share engineering and technology costs.
Now Ghosn’s arrest in Japan for alleged financial improprieties at Nissan could put the nearly 20-year-old alliance in jeopardy.
Ghosn, 64, born in Brazil, schooled in France and of Lebanese heritage, is set to be ousted later this week from his spot as Nissan chairman. He also could also lose his roles as CEO and chairman of Renault, threatening the alliance formed in 1999 that’s now selling more than 10 million automobiles a year.
He’s been “the glue that holds Renault and Nissan together,” Bernstein analyst Max Warburton wrote in a note to investors. “It is hard not to conclude that there may be a gulf opening up between Renault and Nissan.”
Nissan has said it will dismiss the Ghosn after he was arrested in Japan Monday for allegedly abusing company funds and misreporting his income. That opens up a leadership void at the entire alliance, for which Ghosn officially still serves as CEO and chairman.
Ghosn added Mitsubishi to the alliance two years ago after the tiny automaker was caught in a gas-mileage cheating scandal. He had even floated the idea of a full merger between the three companies.
“Today’s events throw any prospect of that up in the air,” Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in London, wrote in a note to investors.
Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa has publicly resisted the idea of an outright merger. So, with Ghosn out at Nissan and probably Renault as well, the companies are unlikely to get any closer.
The companies now share technology, and they save money by jointly purchasing components.
While there could be some scrutiny of the relationships between the companies, they’re so intertwined now that cutting them apart would be difficult, said Kelley Blue Book analyst Michelle Krebs. “I would not predict its demise,” Krebs said of the alliance.
She said she sees further consolidation in an industry that faces unprecedented research costs for autonomous and electric vehicles, while at the same time continuing to develop cars and trucks powered by internal combustion engines.
“The last thing one of the world’s biggest automakers needs is the disruption caused by an investigation into the behavior of a man who has towered over the global auto sector,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in London.
Nissan’s board is to meet Thursday to consider Ghosn’s fate. Renault, where Ghosn is also CEO, said its board will hold an emergency meeting soon, and experts say it is unlikely that he will be able to stay at the company or the broader alliance.
The brash Ghosn was once viewed as a savior in the auto business with the ability to turn around the two struggling companies. In 2006 he even proposed an alliance with global giant General Motors.
Bernstein’s Warburton wrote that Ghosn’s once-mighty reputation has been declining for years, while Krebs said Nissan never could meet Ghosn’s goal of 10 percent US market share even though it has relied on “bad behavior” such as heavy discounts and sales to rental car companies.
Saikawa reiterated Nissan’s commitment to the venture, while a Renault statement expressed “dedication to the defense of Renault’s interest in the alliance.”
Ghosn’s arrest casts doubt on future of Renault-Nissan alliance
Ghosn’s arrest casts doubt on future of Renault-Nissan alliance
- Carlos Ghosn been ‘the glue that holds Renault and Nissan together,’ Bernstein analyst Max Warburton wrote in a note to investors
- With Ghosn out at Nissan and probably Renault as well, the companies are unlikely to get any closer
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
