Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has addressed the dramatic pace of change in the global auto industry in his latest LinkedIn Influencer post, very much in evidence in the ongoing Paris Motor Show.

"Every major automaker is in a race to develop the technologies that will power the cars of tomorrow, driven by three major forces of change: autonomous drive, electrification and connectivity. And it appears ‘tomorrow’ is coming sooner than many think.

Paris features a fleet of new electric cars, including the EV versions of Daimler’s smart cars, which will use Renault electric motors. This kind of collaboration between automakers is another trend I expect to see more of in the years ahead as automakers are challenged to keep up with the pace and cost of technological change. No automaker can do everything alone.

Over on the Renault stand, the Zoe is featured with a new battery with an estimated NEDC-cycle range of 400 kilometres, equivalent to about 300 kilometres in city driving situations. 

Cars are also becoming increasingly connected. Why? The world’s ‘digital natives’ – youths who have grown up with the Internet – are now getting their driver’s licenses. They expect to be constantly connected – at home, at work and on the road. And that connectivity is essential to enable autonomous drive vehicles in the years to come.

To that end, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft announced earlier this week that we are partnering to develop the next-generation technologies that will bring more connected services and experiences to our vehicles globally. This includes new services for customers such as advanced navigation, predictive maintenance, remote monitoring and over-the-air software updates.

This is another example of tech and auto companies collaborating to bring these technological advances to life.

Today’s digital natives also want to express their individuality. So the all-new, fifth generation of Nissan’s Micra city car, which was launched at the Paris show, will offer more than 100 personalisation features.

The new Micra Gen5 also reflects the trend of cars becoming more autonomous. It embodies what we call Nissan Intelligent Mobility, our blueprint for designing, manufacturing, and delivering vehicles that offer a more efficient, confident driving experience.

Under its skin, the new Micra has the building blocks of autonomous drive, including advanced safety features. It includes many firsts for its segment, such as Intelligent Emergency Braking with pedestrian recognition – a first for a Nissan car in Europe. It’s also the first city car to feature technology that prevents unintentional lane changes.

Globally, the Alliance will introduce an array of new autonomous drive technologies over the next four years. By 2020, we plan to have launched 10 vehicles with autonomous drive functionality.

The Paris show is a great opportunity for the industry to listen and observe customers’ reaction to our new vehicles and features. One thing’s for sure: The coming years promise to be challenging, but exciting, ones for those of us lucky enough to work in the global auto industry.”