Nissan CEO says working to ramp up ties with Renault

STORY: "How we can elevate competitiveness is the key area of discussion," Uchida said during a Zoom interview with Reuters, sitting in front of Nissan's Ariya electric crossover vehicle.

Nissan is considering taking a stake in a new electric car unit, called Ampere, that Renault is looking to carve out. Sources previously told Reuters the carmakers are readying plans to announce a potential restructured alliance this month.

Uchida also commented on the economic headwinds facing the automotive industry, saying "looking forward to 2023, still there will be a lot of challenges that we will encounter, especially on the supply chain situation."

Turning the discussion to electrification of the automotive industry, Nissan is looking to build on the sold-out success it has had with the launch of the Sakura electric car in Japan, Uchida said.

"You will start to see the market acceptance of electrified vehicles gradually (increasing). And this is a strategy that we would like to take not only for Japan, but also other core markets," he said.