Nissan, Honda Confirm New EV Partnership

Nissan recently announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Honda to explore a collaboration in EVs and intelligence, suggesting that the Japanese automaker's fortunes may soon be changing.

Given the fierce competition China's BYD, Tesla, and other automakers present to Japan's automakers, the possible partnership could help the two achieve economies of scale in the production of EVs.
“Emerging players are very aggressive and are making inroads at incredible speed,” Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida told a press briefing.

“We cannot win the competition as long as we stick to conventional wisdom and a traditional approach,” he said.

Additionally, Honda's sales are below those of its competitors; during the first nine months of 2023, battery-powered cars made up less than 0.5% of the company's total worldwide sales of 2.8 million cars.

Toshihiro Mibe, President of Honda, stated that the two businesses have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to explore possible areas of collaboration, but the scope has not yet been determined.

As stated by Uchida, they are willing to collaborate in any area, both domestically and abroad. He said that a possible alliance between Nissan and Honda would not impact the company's current business relationships with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors.

Nissan and Renault collaborate on EVs, mostly in Europe. Constructed at the same northern French plant as the new Renault Five, the next Nissan electric Micra will have the same architecture.

Last year, Nissan and Renault scaled back their long-standing partnership, and Renault has since inked deals with new partners like China's Geely. Honda, on the other hand, recently canceled its collaboration with General Motors to create reasonably priced electric vehicles, citing "difficult business circumstances."

Japanese automakers have generally been sluggish to adopt electric vehicles (EVs), with firms such as Toyota choosing to pursue a "multi-pathway" strategy that emphasizes hybrids and even hydrogen in addition to just electric vehicles. But as low-cost Chinese EVs have become more popular, especially in Southeast Asian markets, Japanese automakers are now having to compromise and make changes to stay in business.

It will be intriguing to see what Honda and Nissan can produce. Next-generation electric vehicles (EVs) from Nissan are about to be unveiled, including a LEAF replacement and electric Juke and Qashqai (known as Rogue Sport in the US).

In the meantime, this month will see the Prologue, Honda's first electric SUV, arrive at US dealerships. With a range of up to 296 miles, the Prologue is built on GM's Ultium platform.