Akio Toyoda: Nissan Never Approached Toyota For Merger

Akio Toyoda, renowned chairman of Toyota, recently shared his views and remarks about the impending merger between rivals Nissan and Honda, and they were quite surprising.

At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show 2025 (CES 2025) in Las Vegas, Japanese automaking giant Toyota is making headlines here revealing its mobility-focused “Woven City” project. Present to detail which was the firm’s own Chairman Akio Toyoda.

At the same time, the renowned exec also expressed his views on the recently announced merger talks between two of his firm’s rivals – Nissan and Honda. Speaking with InsideEVs.com via an interpreter, Toyoda confirmed that Nissan didn’t approach his firm to moot such discussions.

Besides confirming that Nissan didn't approach his firm to moot a merger, Toyoda also expressed what appeared to be genuine enthusiasm for said rival's merger with Honda.

“[Nissan] did not approach Toyota about any mergers,” said Toyoda via an interpreter regarding the query. The Chairman, who’s grandfather founded Toyota, also added that even if Nissan had considered it, the move would “definitely be violating anti-monopoly laws.”

For context, we’ve noted prior that in terms of positioning, Toyota ranks as Number 1 amongst the Japanese automakers in terms of size and sale, whereas Honda and Nissan trails the firm in Number 2 and Number 3 positions respectively.

“They might have considered it, but decided not to because of that,” reasoned Toyoda further before expressing what appeared to be genuine enthusiasm for said merger. “I’m looking forward to [seeing] how they’re going to cooperate between each other,” added Toyoda.

Nissan and Honda jointly announced their discussion to merge just before the end of 2024 with Mitsubishi in tow too.

He even said that if the Nissan-Honda merger birthed exciting, competitive new products, it would be good for the competition in both the Japan and overseas. Certainly, these somewhat positive and upbeat remarks from the leader of a chief rival is astounding.

It’s also a big contrast versus what was said by exiled former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn. Besides calling it “desperate” and “panic-driven”, Ghosn even once alleged an earlier partnership agreement Nissan inked with Honda was a “disguised takeover” by the latter.