It's like a World War 2 grand alliance, the French and the Japanese against Germany. Okay, maybe the actual war didn't turn out like that, but it's worth the comparison, because the Franco-Japanese group that is Nissan and Renault today, has been very successful. When in 1999, the failing Nissan got the help of Carlos Ghosn to head up the car maker, he oversaw a great idea. That idea became the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Today, 1 in 10 of every car manufactured is either a Renault or Nissan. That's a big step in the right direction for a company that almost collapsed near the turn of the century.

Streamlining production, and creating a broader offering of cars has been great for Nissan. In South Africa, Nissan has found favour among our car buyers with their NP200 half-ton bakkie, and the very popular Nissan Juke compact SUV. In 2013 alone, that bakkie sold a record 16 007 units. That's beyond impressive, and shows South Africans' prefer the reliability that Japanese makes have come to be known for. As things stand, Nissan (with Renault) hold the fourth largest slice of the country's vehicle market. That's just about tied with the Hyundai-Kia partnership.

Two very important events have happened in the past year or so that have been the highlight of Nissan's endeavours in South Africa. The first was the introduction of the county's first 100% electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf. The second was the employment of Johan Nysschen as Infiniti's head. I will explain these two in turns.

The Nissan Leaf is an incredible motor vehicle, albeit expensive. Nissan promises that it will retain most of its resale value, while ensuring buyers great benefits in warranties and the likes. It's also the only car in South Africa whose specs will have a big, fat zero emissions written on. That's a big bonus for the environmentally conscious and those who want to save money on fuel, etc. The Leaf was launched with a great ad, which is the one below, but that hasn't translated into stellar sales in SA. No doubt the main reason for that is the exorbitant cost of owning an electric car, and of course our country's short supply of electricity. Nissan dealers, from Cape Town to Johannesburg can all attest to this. This is even more interesting in for the guys in the Western Cape, which by in large are usually the first to pick up new trends. Drivers just aren't feeling the Leaf as much as the Juke for example.

De Nysschen, long seen as the man who made Audi South Africa and Audi of America the powerhouses they are today was the most perfect choice to be tapped in the back to run Infiniti. Infiniti of course, is Nissan's answer to Toyota's Lexus. Since the marquee's launch many moons ago, it's struggled to capture the market for affordable luxury. It's something Toyota has perfected, thus the many years Lexus was the leading premium car to buy in the USA. Sure it's lost that title to German car makers, but it's still the guy to beat if Nissan wants to gain ground and credibility to take on the real prize – BMW. De Nysschen is among South Africa's leading auto executives, and to be part of what Nissan sees as its future – premium automobiles – his status in the Japanese group is hard to ignore. Although this might raise some eyebrows for Ethics majors, it wouldn't hurt if de Nysschen could use his status to move some of Nissan's production to their Rossyln plant in Pretoria. Already, its partner, Renault, recently revealed that it would assemble the Renault 3008 on our shores, so that's already a big plus for us.

Although the alliance has not moved in the way of an outright merger like FIAT and Chrysler's recent marriage, it works for Nissan and Renault, and because of it, great cars have empowered many buyers to enjoy the experience of driving.

Author: Pierre Theron