TOKYO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Renault SA Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said on Wednesday that the French automaker is committed to improving its relationship with it Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co.
Senard made the remarks in an interview in Tokyo with media outlets, a day after Nissan shareholders approved a new management plan, in which the company agreed to be more transparent by increasing the number of outside board members from three to seven.
The two carmakers have agreed on Renault executives having positions on the new committees after an earlier squabble over the posts.
When asked about the current capital structure of the alliance, Senard responded, "My only goal here is to make sure that the situation does not impair ... the good relationship we have on an operations basis."
Currently, Renault has a 43.7-percent stake in Nissan and the Japanese automaker holds 15 percent of the French partner's shares.
"The most important is to be operational, having the same mindset, being able to have a forum where we can discuss the matters, make decisions and be accountable to that," he said, suggesting he has no intension to change the structure at an early date.
Asked whether the French government still wants a merger between Renault and Nissan, Senard said, "This issue of a merger has been raised to create artificial tension between the companies."
Senard, who attended the meeting in Yokohama as one of Nissan's board members, said on Tuesday that he was not "aggressive" and always kept the Japanese automaker's best interests in mind.
