Two years ago, Carlos Ghosn said his Renault-Nissan automotive Group would be one of the top three global automakers by 2018. That prediction has come true a year early, largely due to the addition of Mitsubishi into the alliance in 2016. Now Ghosn believes the alliance could soon pass Volkswagen Group and Toyota to become the best-selling car company.
Through the first four months, the alliance is close to the top two. According to market research, VW Group has sold 3.32 million vehicles, Toyota 3.06 million and Renault-Nissan 3.02 million. JATO uses a combination of vehicle registrations and retail sales to arrive at its figures.
Barring mergers or acquisitions, Renault-Nissan could stay in the top three for some time. General Motors, now No. 4, is scaling back to focus on domestic operations though the expected sale of European brands Opel and Vauxhall to PSA Group and its withdrawal from the Indian market.
