Car makers are responding proactively to these trends, promoting women to senior positions and putting them at the heart of their marketing efforts, as well as increasing investments in technological innovations.
“Women make 80 percent of the purchase decisions for cars so we need to be closer to them, to understand what they need and what they are looking for,” asserts Mayra Gonzalez, president and managing director of Nissan Mexico. Gonzalez is the first female executive at Nissan ever to be appointed president of a country and the youngest person to assume the position.
“There is a clear business rationale behind encouraging diversity in the Alliance. It’s not just about checking boxes.” Mayra González, President and Managing Director, Nissan Mexico
“We are now more conscious about the importance of women in the auto industry, not only as a customer but also inside the industry,” she reveals.
Carlos Ghosn, the chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has made it a strategic priority for both member companies to increase the diversity of their workforce.
“Having such a strong tone from the top has helped us build our Women@Renault network, which is increasing the self-confidence of our women, developing their skills and giving them access to senior roles,” says Clotilde Delbos, CFO at Groupe Renault.
“We believe that diversity and inclusion is a competitive advantage,” Gonzalez adds.
At Renault, innovation is not limited to electric vehicles (EVs), connected cars and autonomous driving, but extends across the corporation. As chair of the board of RCI Banque, the company’s car finance unit, Delbos is tasked with developing innovative financial services that strengthen the loyalty of Renault customers.
“There are not many industries that are going to be disrupted as much as the automotive and banking sectors,” Delbos declares. “I have the luxury of looking at both of them, developing digital financial services and also mobility services such as car sharing.”
Both Delbos and Gonzalez have assumed leadership positions at a time of major market growth for both brands, as Ghosn’s growth strategy delivers on its targets. Renault has reported market share gains across Europe with popular new product designs. At the same time it has achieved rapid growth in emerging markets like India, thanks to innovative and affordable vehicles designed for the local environment such as the KWID.
In Mexico, Nissan has been the market leader for seven consecutive years and enjoys a share of 25%. Gonzalez, who in her previous role as vice president of sales and marketing spearheaded this growth, is aiming for a record level of sales in this fiscal year: 400,000 cars, up from 355,000 sold in 2015.
“We have decided that we need to increase R&D expenses in order to prepare for future disruption.”
Clotilde Delbos, Executive VP and CFO, Groupe Renault
Nissan is also ramping up its production in Mexico, where it has been present for more than 50 years. In 2017, with the start of operations at a new $1billion plant in a joint venture with Daimler, Nissan will produce over one million cars in the country. “Our manufacturing footprint, our products, our finance company and our dealership network give us the formula for success,” Gonzalez says.
For both partners in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, electric vehicles are some of the fastest selling products in their range. The Nissan Leaf is the world’s most popular EV, with more than 230,000 units sold since its launch in 2010. Meanwhile, Renault reached the milestone of its 100,000th EV sale in 2016; the company has a strong line-up of EVs, including the Renault Zoe, the top-selling electric car in Europe. Between them, the Alliance partners have now sold more than 375,000 electric vehicles.
“We are investing in the future and increasing our spending on R&D,” Renault’s Delbos says. “There are a lot of challenges facing the industry, such as the arrival of autonomous driving, connectivity, and mobility as a service. Our job is to be prepared for that future.”
