Nissan and Honda announced fusion recently. By the end of 2023, the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which had existed since 1999, is usually described as having come to an end. Common structures, such as the jointly created purchasing company, are dissolved. However, the relationship between the two companies continues (along with the third partner, Mitsubishi) in the form of collaborative projects. How can we understand the end of the Alliance combined with a relationship that persists through projects? To explain this phenomenon, it is necessary to analyse the overall dynamics of the relationship, from its origins to the crisis it has undergone.
The Renault-Nissan strategic alliance, forged in 1999, has been a subject of extensive study, particularly as it faced a major crisis in 2018. The arrest of CEO Carlos Ghosn and development director Greg Kelly in Japan, on charges of misuse of corporate assets and tax fraud, shook the partnership to its core. Yet, the alliance endured, with Mitsubishi joining as a third partner. Understanding its trajectory – its operations pre-crisis, the turmoil of the crisis, and its survival – required a fresh lens. We sought to provide such insights by interviewing key stakeholders in France and Japan, culminating in our research published in the journal M@n@gement.
