Renault-Nissan, Daimler mull extending alliance to autonomous, battery tech

[October 03, 2018]  PARIS (Reuters) - Renault-Nissan and Daimler may expand their cooperation to battery and autonomous cars technology and mobility services, the companies said on Wednesday.

Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG, and Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, attend a press conference on the second press day of the Paris auto show, in Paris, France, October 3, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

"The industry being in transformation in the area of connectivity, autonomous cars and connected services, there are plenty of areas of cooperation for our entities," Renault Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told a news conference in Paris.

It could be an advantage for the companies to pursue different avenues of battery research and to pool their findings, as the industry seeks better battery chemistry for electric cars, Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said.

Ghosn said the auto industry was seeing increased demand for electric vehicles.

"The higher price of oil, the more tailwind you will have behind electric cars," he said, adding that a shortage of battery cells and electric motors means the auto industry is unable to meet demand for zero-emission vehicles, irrespective of short-term oil price moves.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Laurence Frost; Editing by Christoph Steitz)

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