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Photo: KIM KYUNG-HOON / REUTERS
The car manufacturers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi apparently want to triple their investments in the joint development of electric vehicles.
The Franco-Japanese alliance wants to announce a plan next Thursday that envisages more than 20 billion euros over the next five years.
That said two people familiar with the project from the Reuters news agency.
The money is in addition to the ten billion euros that the group has already spent on electrification.
When asked, spokesmen for Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi declined to comment.
According to the report, more than 30 new battery-powered vehicles will be developed by 2030 based on five common platforms.
One serves as the basis for models such as the Nissan Ariya and the electric Renault Megane, while another is used for inexpensive cars from Nissan and Chinese partner Dongfeng, as well as from Dacia.
In addition, there will be a platform for light commercial vehicles and one for mini cars such as the Japanese kei cars.
A fifth variant for compact cars designed by Renault is to be added later.
The plan, called “Alliance to 2030”, is said to be aimed at “increased cooperation” between car manufacturers.
They have "a common vision for electrification and networked mobility," said one of the insiders.
The five joint platforms are expected to cover 90 percent of the electric vehicles that the companies plan to develop and bring to market by 2030.
The car manufacturers hope to make electric cars more affordable in the future with the cooperation.
By 2025, electric vehicles in the compact class should cost about the same as petrol or diesel cars, according to the target.
The alliance is also expected to share solid-state lithium-ion battery technology developed by Nissan.
The bosses of the three car companies originally wanted to present their joint plans at an event in Japan last fall.
Because of the corona wave in Japan, the performance has now been postponed to the last week of January, the insiders said.
nis/Reuters
