But Renault's alliance partner, Japanese carmakerRenault and Geely declined to comment. Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The French carmaker is due to unveil this autumn plans for creating an EV-dedicated unit based in France and another one based abroad that will bring together all of its petrol andengine and transmissions production sites in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Romania and Latin America.
Renault intends to remain the majority shareholder in its"Ampère" electrical division, which will employ around 10,000 people and could list on theBut it will only retain a minority stake in its"Horse" combustion engine business, which will have a similar sized workforce, but would remain a reference shareholder with significant clout in the unit.
The two sources said Renault would hold a 40% stake in the fossil-fuel engine unit, while Geely would also hold 40% and an oil company the remaining 20%. But the plan is not finalized"and other tracks exist for partner manufacturers", one of the sources said. That would not include Nissan, despite a proposal from Renault that it participate in the deal, the two sources added, a further indication that the strategy of the alliance partners continues to diverge.