Automakers Renault, Nissan make cross-shareholdings equal

Nissan and Renault have agreed to make their mutual cross-shareholdings equal at 15%, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance

Nissan and Renault have changed their mutual cross-shareholdings equal at 15%, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance.

Renault Group will transfer 28.4% of the Nissan shares it owns into a French trust, so its stake will be the same 15% that Nissan Motor Co. has in the French automaker.

Voting rights would be “neutralized” for most decisions, the two companies said in a statement Monday.

The move had been anticipated because of leaks to various media outlets.

The Nissan-Renault alliance began in 1999, at a time when the Japanese automaker was in tough financial straits. The disparity was a cause of friction, especially after Nissan became far more profitable than Renault.