In many ways, the deal makes sense for Renault. An alliance with Nissan would offer opportunities for sharing car designs and utilizing surplus capacity in Nissan's factories in Japan and Mexico. It would also greatly expand Renault's global reach. Mr. Usher said the company currently gets 84 percent of its revenues from Europe, where it will face increased competition at the end of the year because of deregulation. Only 4 percent of its revenues come from Asia, and although the bulk of Nissan's Asian sales come from Japan, its factories here would give Renault a springboard to the rest of the region. Nissan's board was to discuss the terms Mr. Hanawa brought back with him at a meeting today. The most contentious issue was likely the question of how much control Nissan was willing to cede to its French suitor; many of Nissan's board members are worried about signing away the company's autonomy, according to former executives.