Is China pushing Europe’s OEMs towards closer collaboration?

On 3 October 2024, Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares dubbed rumours that his company is considering a merger with Renault as “pure speculation”, according to Reuters. A similar possibility had floated in the media in February, eventually passing without verification by either party.

Then, Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore published a story on 29 September that an “Airbus of cars” could emerge from a three-way summit between BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse, Renault’s Luca de Meo, and Tavares on 15 October. The latter two are indeed confirmed to appear during the Paris Motor Show, which runs 14-20 October, although none have explicitly verified that such a meeting will take place.