Nissan Motor has struggled in China, where it sells the Venucia brand. Meanwhile, Renault has entered into a new partnership with Chinese automaker Geely. (Source photos by Nikkei and Reuters)

SHUHEI OCHIAI, Nikkei staff writer |

TOKYO — A year after Nissan Motor and Renault Group agreed to rebalance their alliance to a team of equals, the Japanese automaker has slipped behind its French partner in market capitalization amid struggles to adapt to shifting market environments.

Nissan’s group operating profit fell 99% on the year to 995 million yen ($6.45 million) for the first quarter ended June 30. Nissan’s share price was down as much as 11% at one point Thursday, the day that the earnings results were released.

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