Daimler and Renault-Nissan Expand Scope of Collaboration

• Daimler and Renault-Nissan Alliance partner on fuel-efficient engines and transmissions
• Original projects remain on track as partnership expands globally

PARIS - Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance are collaborating on two new projects to accelerate development of fuel-efficient powertrains.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed the new projects Friday in an annual media update about the Franco-Japanese-German partnership.

The new engine project is a jointly developed 4-cylinder gasoline engine family co-led by Renault and Daimler. The direct-injection turbocharged engine will feature state-of-the-art technology in a compact package. It targets a significant improvement in fuel economy as well as low emissions.

The companies expect to jointly manufacture the new engines. They will debut in Daimler and Renault and Nissan vehicles in 2016.

In the new transmission project Daimler grants Nissan a license to manufacture automatic transmissions using Daimler´s latest transmission technology for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles starting in 2016.

Nissan subsidiary Jatco is planning to manufacture these newly licensed gearboxes in Mexico. The new transmission will feature "start and stop" and "park and shift by wire" technologies.

"These new components demonstrate how broadly and rapidly our collaboration is proliferating - while all the time remaining rooted in specific projects that give tangible benefits to our customers," Ghosn said. "The relationship is expanding organically and logically."

"The collaboration achieved a milestone this year, with the first vehicles and engines from the partnership now on the roads," Zetsche said. "Furthermore, all our engineers are keeping an open mind, looking with fresh eyes at all potential new areas of collaboration."

Ghosn and Zetsche confirmed that all of the original "pillar projects" announced in 2010 have been accomplished or are on track. The companies are also moving forward with discussions on fuel-cell vehicle powertrains, and they are working on a cross-supply program for battery and powertrain components of zero-emission versions of their small cars.

ABOUT THE RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which sell one in 10 cars worldwide. Renault and Nissan have been strategic partners since 1999 and sold 8.03 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2011. The Alliance operates strategic collaborations with numerous automakers, including Germany's Daimler, China's Dong Feng and regional manufacturers such as Ashok Leyland in India.

About Daimler
Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group's focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2011, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 271,000 people; revenue totaled €106.5 billion and EBIT amounted to €8.8 billion.

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