This document discusses the 1999 merger between Renault and Nissan. At the time of the merger, Renault was a expanding French automaker focused on Western Europe, while Nissan was a declining Japanese company with underutilized capacity. The alliance created the sixth largest global automaker, combining Renault's expertise in development and markets with Nissan's engineering strengths. The merger aimed to increase profits and competitiveness against Toyota and GM by improving quality, technology, and attractiveness of products and services while maintaining each brand's culture. However, mergers also risk one company giving more than it receives or cultural clashes between the merging organizations.