Renault says no immediate plans to join hybrid tie-up

PARIS, Sept 3 Reuters is reporting that French carmaker Renault said on Tuesday it had no immediate plans to team up with its Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co and rival Toyota Motor Corp to make more environmentally-friendly cars.

But a spokeswoman for Renault said it was important that the French firm had the option to join the Japanese tie-up announced on Monday to develop state-of-the-art hybrid systems, which combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor.

"We have no plans for now, but it is important that the offer is there," the spokeswoman said.

Nissan Executive Vice President Nobuo Okubo said on Monday the technology sharing, which involves Toyota supplying the system components to Nissan for an undisclosed fee, could extend to Renault if the French firm expressed interest.

Hybrid vehicles, most popular in the United States, are twice as fuel-efficient as ordinary cars of the same size.