Renault, Geely seeking to onboard Aramco in forthcoming JV: French car manufacturer Renault and China’s Geely are looking to finalize an agreement to bring Saudi Aramco into a joint venture (JV) intended to develop more efficient gasoline engines and hybrid automotive systems, Reuters reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources. The oil giant is reportedly in “advanced” discussions to potentially assume a stake of up to 20%, Reuters quotes its sources as saying. The value of Aramco’s potential investment is not known. If the agreement moves forward, it would make Aramco the first major oil producer to invest in the car business, the outlet added.

Next steps: The agreement between Aramco, Renault and Geely needs approval by the boards of the carmakers, according to one of the sources quoted by Reuters. The three firms reportedly plan to finalize a letter of intent within the coming weeks.

What we know about the new company: Geely and Renault plan to set up a powertrain tech company this year with the capacity to produce over 5 mn low-emission and hybrid engines and transmissions annually, Reuters noted, citing a document it’s seen. The JV would make use of Renault’s existing combustion-engine production and Geely’s gasoline and hybrid tech, the sources reportedly said. Renault and Geely would each hold a 40% stake in the JV, Reuters notes.

A cross continental plan in the works: Renault and Geely first announced their establishment of the JV in November last year, saying the company would eventually have 17 powertrain plants on three continents, with five research and development centers and some 19k employees.

What would Aramco bring to the table? Funds from Aramco’s investment in the JV would go towards developing decarbonization technologies for gasoline engines, according to a document seen by Reuters. Aramco “would also contribute to research and development of powertrain technologies, especially synthetic fuel solutions and next-generation hydrogen technologies,” it added.

This isn’t the first time Aramco has shown interest in hybrid engines: Last year, the oil company entered into a two-year partnership with Hyundai to jointly research and develop an emissions-reducing fuel for hybrid vehicles.

But why hybrid as opposed to fully electric? Industry leaders, including Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, have cautioned against setting targets that are too ambitious for the EV transition, saying that EVs are expensive and charging infrastructure needs to be extensive for widespread adoption to take hold. Toyota sees hybrids as a more affordable option in cutting emissions.