This proposed merger will initially be between Honda and Nissan, before Mitsubishi joins in the future.
Honda and Nissan are currently reported to be in discussion for a potential merger, and it also appears for this upcoming tie-up may be a threesome that includes Mitsubishi in the future as well.
Rumours of these two Japanese automakers tying the knot have incidentally begun swirling for a few months already, but it was only very recently that news of this merger really begun picking up steam. A new Nikkei Asia report indicates that the Honda and Nissan will operate under a new holding company, with other sources suggesting that this deal could be finalised as early as next month.
Worth highlighting here though that officially at least, Honda and Nissan have yet to officially confirm (nor deny) the possibility of an upcoming partnership. There is nevertheless no smoke without fire, and the fact that both have told Reuters that the two are “exploring various possibilities for future collaboration, leveraging each other’s strengths” is telling that wedding bells could soon be ringing.
Now assuming this merger succeeds and Mitsubishi does eventually join the fray, this Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi partnership could well be one of the largest automotive conglomerates around. It currently remains to be seen however as to how this proposed hook-up with Honda affects Nissan and Mitsubishi’s existing alliance with Renault, not to mention what the future looks like for the Honda-Sony EV collaboration.
Incidentally, Nissan and Honda have already been working together since March 2024. Both have previously agreed to partner up for EV and software-defined vehicle (SDV) development, with Mitsubishi joining in this collaboration later on in August this year.
This proposed Nissan and Honda partnership is not exactly to be a massive surprise given the current climate in the automotive industry. More and more Japanese automakers are having shotgun weddings just to survive in this current electrified age after all, think Mazda and Subaru’s recent hook up with Toyota.
It would be remissed not to mention here too that Nissan is currently in major financial doo-doo, with apparently not long left to live. The Japanese automaker’s sales in North America have reportedly dropped by a quarter in the past decade, with it also recently struggling in China amid stiffer competition.
