Next gen Nissan Micra and Renault Clio to share components

Badge engineering and component sharing is becoming the mantra of the automotive industry and who understands these terms better than the Renault-Nissan Alliance?

The two mainline car makers have been benefiting from a synergistic relationship since 1999 and the duo is now ready to explore the untapped potential of the partnership. The commonality between the Renault and Nissan cars are set to increase in the due course.

Japanese daily Nikkei reports that Renault and Nissan are looking to use common components in their popular hatchbacks, the Renault Clio and the Nissan Micra (also called as March in some countries). The proposed component sharing strategy is expected to come into effect by 2015.

It is to be noted that the the V-platform which underpins the Micra is a next generation version of the jointly developed B-platform on which the Clio is based. The top officials of both the firms are reportedly working together to finalize a strategy to share components.

The common parts in the Clio and the Micra is expected to be about 50% which would result in considerable savings in component developing, sourcing and production. In addition, the move would give the Alliance plants the flexibility to build both the cars in the same production line.

The report suggests that the component sharing synergy will be progressively extended to other products in the stable as well. The common part strategy is expected to benefit around 3 million small cars a year initially.

[Note: The images of the 2014 Nissan Micra and the 2013 Renault Clio are used for illustration purposes]

[Source: Globalpost.com]