Renault-Nissan Hikes Savings Target 8%

The Renault-Nissan alliance says it now expects to save at least €4.3 billion by 2016 through shared product development, production, purchasing and human resources activities.

The partners previously predicted €4 billion in combined savings by then. They say the additional benefit will come by expanding the scope of their technology and services sharing.

The expanded effort will be coordinated by four "convergence project leaders." The executives and their assignments are:

• Human Resources: Marie Francoise Damesin, who heads HR for Renault
• Purchasing: Christian Vandenhende, who heads the alliance's purchasing organization
• R&D: Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, who directs the partnership's platform and parts sharing effort
• Manufacturing and Logistics: Shouhei Kimura, Nissan's vice president for vehicle product engineering