Daimler open to more Renault cooperation, projects with Tesla - CEO
MUNICH (Reuters) - Daimler is open to broadening its cooperation with alliance partner Renault and Nissan to include other small cars, and to new projects with electric car maker Tesla Motors, Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said on Thursday.
"We are in the final path of co-development regarding Twingo and Smart," Zetsche said, referring to an existing cooperation deal in the subcompact city car segment. "That has not to be limited to one product and one segment. Others could be possible," including compact cars.
Speaking at an event to launch the Mercedes-Benz V-Class in Munich, he spoke of potential for working with Nissan's premium brand Infiniti.
"In relation to Infiniti, we have a much broader base to start with our new MFA platform," he said. The Mercedes-Benz modular front wheel architecture is used by Mercedes to develop a range of small cars.
Zetsche said Daimler also would be open to sharing factory capacity with Renault Nissan for compact cars, if an opportunity arose.
"Mid-term or long-term -- based on further ideas for this segment -- we think that an addition of capacity is very likely, most likely necessary. And then there is the discussion where to locate that," Zetsche said. He added that North America was a possibility.
He also reiterated that Daimler is open to cooperating with Tesla .
"Their project leader was a former member of our team, so we have a lot of very good links, a very constructive good relationship, which certainly has room for further expansion," Zetsche said.
Zetsche said Daimler also would be open to sharing its GL offroader platform with Aston Martin , the British sports-car maker. That would depend on Aston's product plans, he added.
As for the company's other partnerships, Zetsche said Daimler has been "very happy with the cooperation we are having" with Russian partner Kamaz , "to which extent further increases of our participation would make sense both of us would have to look in to."
"So far I see no disagreement between the two partners whatsoever, neither in the cooperation operationally itself, nor in the shareholding," the German chief executive said.
(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Amanda Kwan)
