In early 2018, Ghosn was laying the groundwork for a new alliance structure that would bring Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors under one holding company, paving the way for the potential creation of a global automaking empire that could surpass Toyota Motor and Volkswagen. But there has long been resistance within Nissan to the control exerted by Renault, which saved the Japanese automaker from insolvency in 1999. Renault ended up with a 43% stake in Nissan, while the Japanese company only held 15% of Renault without voting rights, making it a junior partner even though it sells more cars.