Renault-Nissan: What Future Electric Vehicles for the Alliance?

Relations between Renault and Nissan are keeping a low profile, but they will create partnerships on electric vehicles, including the upcoming Dacia Spring and Megane E-Tech.

Tense since the ousting and the Carlos Ghosn scandal – former CEO -, relations between the Alliance members were strained. This partnership between the three groups Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi is relaunching on February 6, with a slowdown in synergies. The most significant change is Renault’s reduction of its stake in Nissan’s capital to 15% (vs 43.4%). However, collaboration on electric cars continues.

A New Dacia Spring, and a Nissan Sibling?

The current Dacia Spring has been on the French market since September 2021, but its origins are much older. It is based on the Renault Kwid, transformed into the electric City K-ZE in China, which provides its CMF-A platform. The second generation is arriving very quickly, confirmed in Monday’s statement.

According to Luca de Meo last year, this Dacia Spring II was planned for 2024. The small electric will also be exported to Latin America and considered for India. Nissan will also benefit from this model, which it already sells under the name Venucia in China with its local partner Dongfeng. Will Nissan offer the Spring under its own brand?

A Future Renault Megane with Ultra-Fast Charging in 2027?

Other projects are underway. The upcoming electric Nissan Micra will start in 2026, produced at the “Electricity” plant in France. It “will share 80% of its components with the Renault 5“ specifies Luca de Meo, “and will reduce Nissan’s entry price by 40%”. Based on the Nissan Leaf priced at €36,900, the electric Micra is expected to start at around €22,000! Renault confirms its project for a platform for electric utility vehicles “Flexvan,” which will arrive in 2026 and will be adopted by Nissan. This is somewhat the new generation of Kangoo E-Tech and Trafic E-Tech.

Then, starting in 2027, new compact electric cars, such as Megane E-Tech or Scenic E-Tech, will hit the market. Renault and Nissan may once again collaborate on this, with “the potential use of a common 800-volt architecture”. Currently, the Renault Megane Electric – along with the Nissan Ariya cousin – is limited to a charging power of 130 kW. Nissan is also expected to invest 15% in Renault’s new electric division, known as Ampere.

The Alliance also outlines future hybrid cars. The first is the Mitsubishi ASX based on the Renault Captur, which will soon be available in dealerships this year, a compact SUV with a plug-in hybrid option. The second is the Mitsubishi Colt hybrid, cloning the Renault Clio hatchback in the coming months.

Also read: Test Drive Nissan Ariya: Better Late Than Never!