. The plan raises difficult questions about how Nissan, which is 43.4 per cent owned by the French automaker, would fit into a radically changed alliance.“Over all, we don’t see any particularly negative aspect” to the planned merger, which was for Renault and FCA to decide, Nissan chief executive Hiroto Saikawa told reporters on Wednesday.
Nissan, which has rebuffed overtures by Renault for a merger despite a 20-year alliance, was blindsided by the talks, sources have said, stoking concerns that a deal with FCA could weaken Nissan’s relations with its French partner. The tie-up also poses an additional challenge for Nissan’s Mr. Saikawa, who is grappling with poor financial performance and an uneasy relationship with Renault after Nissan led the ousting last year of long-standing alliance chairman Carlos Ghosn.