Foreign Influences on the Japanese Automobile Industry: The Nissan-Renault Mutual Learning Alliance

摘要

This contribution discusses the exchange of complementary skills and knowledge in a mutual learning alliance between equal partners that come from different historical, cultural, and economic backgrounds by drawing on the 1999 merger between the French carmaker Renault and Japanese carmaker Nissan. The vantage point for this discussion is the Japanese economy, and the Nissan-Renault merger is discussed against the historical background of the protected development of Japanese carmakers. It is argued here that Renault's corporate management know-how greatly contributed to Nissan's turnaround.