Talks between Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA. about revising their partnership are centred on enhancing competitiveness as equal partners and maximising their investment in electric vehicles.

According to those with knowledge of the discussions, less than two weeks remain in the negotiations with Renault, Nissan's largest shareholder, to fulfil the Nov. 15 deadline the firms set for a deal.

Makoto Uchida, the CEO of Nissan, refrained from commenting on the prospect of a deal this month. However, he claimed that he spoke with Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault, every weekend and that their conversations will continue into the future. Technology sharing has reportedly been a sticking point in the negotiations, according to people with knowledge of the talks.

Uchida emphasised that the talks were founded on mutual trust. He has spent a large portion of his Nissan career in roles related to the Franco-Japanese alliance. He continued that conversations of technology transfers were to be expected because each organisation possessed significant technologies.

In a time of economic instability and as the industry moves toward what he called its biggest revolution in a century with the shift to electric vehicles, he said the objective was to increase the manufacturers' capacity for competition.

In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Uchida stated, 'The discussion we are having is about how to make our competitiveness even greater.' That is first, I say. Since the automakers announced last month that they were talking about the future of their partnership, this was his first media interview.

The relationship, which was instrumental in turning around the Japanese manufacturer and was long headed by Carlos Ghosn, a former CEO who is now on the run, started with a 1999 investment from Renault.

The unequal ownership structure, in which Renault owns 43% of Nissan and Nissan only has a 15% non-voting part, has, nevertheless, rankled Nissan officials over the years.