Mergers and joint ventures are everywhere in the automotive industry. Automakers have several brands under their respective wings, from divisions, sub brands, and alliances.
But over in France, something big is brewing, at least according to Italian news publication Il Messaggro.
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Per the news outlet, the French government is studying a plan to merge Stellantis and the Renault Group. Should that plan become reality, it will become Europe’s biggest automaker in terms of brands owned.
There are 14 brands under Stellantis and 4 more under Renault Group. For Stellantis, there’s Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall. Meanwhile, Renault, which is part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, has Renault, Renault-Samsung, Alpine, and Dacia.
Stellantis chairman John Elkann recently denied merger claims, stating that "There are no plans being studied regarding mergers of Stellantis with other manufacturers”. The chairman added that the company is focused on implementing its long-term business plans.
However, Renault might be open to some form of cooperation with other brands. In recent developments, the French automaker has been loosening its grip on Nissan with a 15% ownership stake, along with its withdrawal in Russia and the sale of its stake in Lada. Elkann believes that it all of these put Renault in a vulnerable position.
But whether these plans are still cooking or not, one thing is for certain. There will be more surprise alliances and mergers down the line as automakers rush to go electrified and carbon neutral within the next 30 years.
