Nissan Is Rebadging Two Renault Models

Alliances help automakers cut costs and speed up development. With Nissan in desperate need of fresh products to bounce back after more than a few rough years, it’s eager to capitalize on its partnership with Renault. After announcing plans last month to bring back the Micra supermini as a reskinned Renault 5, Nissan confirmed this week that it will also launch its own version of the even smaller and more retro-tastic Twingo.

Nissan’s take on the Twingo doesn’t have a name yet but we do know that it will be developed and produced by Ampere, an electric car and software company part of the Group Renault. Although a teaser image isn’t available yet, Nissan says the A-segment model will be designed in-house. That tells us it will put more effort into the car's styling instead of swapping badges and calling it a day.

The Micra does have a handful of unique traits to separate it from the Renault version, but the French connection is immediately noticeable. It should be the same story with the diminutive EV. Set to cost from approximately €20,000, the Twingo is not only getting a Nissan equivalent but also a Dacia derivative, priced at an even lower €18,000.

Ironically, Nissan has decided not to invest in Ampere anymore, the very same company in charge of bringing its smallest EV (except for the Sakura kei car) to market. The agreement inked between the two automakers in July 2023 called for Nissan to spend money on the newly established firm. However, Nissan is getting out of the tie-up by the end of next month.

The Renault-Nissan alliance is undergoing further changes. Cross-shareholdings are decreasing from 15 to 10 percent, allowing both companies to reduce their stakes to this new minimum if they choose, without obligations. Additionally, Renault is acquiring Nissan’s 51-percent stake in the Indian branch.

What about Mitsubishi? Nissan has all but confirmed it will borrow something from its domestic partner as well. A familiar SUV hides in the shadows, and it’s likely based on the Outlander PHEV. Nissan has confirmed a plug-in hybrid Rogue for the United States will arrive later this year, and we believe it’s an Outlander with different badges.

That shouldn’t come as a big surprise since the two models are cut from the same cloth by sharing the CMF-CD architecture. More variety certainly wouldn’t have hurt but the quickest way to bring a product to the market is by borrowing an existing model and changing its logos. It's worth noting Nissan will bring a fully redesigned, fourth-generation Rogue to the US later in 2026, complete with E-Power.

If you’re not familiar with the marketing jargon, it refers to a 1.5-liter gasoline engine serving as a generator to charge a battery that feeds electric motors. The combustion engine is not mechanically connected to the wheels, prompting Nissan to say cars with E-Power behave like EVs. The revamped Rogue will also come as a more traditional plug-in hybrid, which tells us the rebadged Outlander PHEV will have a short shelf life.

Ideally, the new strategy pays off, so that Nissan’s new boss can fulfill his dream of bringing back the Silvia. Ivan Espinosa has already promised the GT-R will return one day, but the boring stuff like SUVs and the new Sentra sedan need to be successful first before the company commits to exciting niche products. The company also pins its hopes on the second-geneartion Leaf, which has morphed into a crossover.