Nissan Motor is willing to walk away from a deal with Renault SA to re-balance their alliance amid concerns the French carmaker wants to license hundreds of jointly developed patented technologies to other players, including new Chinese partner Geely.
While both sides appeared near a final agreement two weeks ago, Nissan’s board and management have recently expressed concern over Renault’s plans for the intellectual property.
It includes some 500 joint technologies among them expertise in areas such as autonomous driving, hybrid powertrains, solid-state batteries, safety systems, battery-management software and other know-how critical for developing self-driving, electrified vehicles.
Nissan sees risks in Renault Chief