Honda, Nissan to fuse into automobile giant

Honda and Nissan are in talks to merge by 2026, they said on Monday, a historic pivot for Japan's auto industry that underlines the threat Chinese EV makers now pose to the world's long-dominant legacy car makers.

- Reuters

TOKYO:

The tie-up would create the world's third-largest auto group by vehicle sales after Toyota and Volkswagen.

It would also give the two companies scale and a chance to share resources in the face of intense competition from Tesla and more nimble Chinese rivals, such as BYD.

The merger of Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, with Nissan, its No. 3, would be the biggest reshaping in the global auto industry since Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA merged in 2021 to create Stellantis in a $52-billion deal.

Smaller Mitsubishi Motors, in which Nissan is top shareholder, was also considering joining and would make a decision by the end of January, the companies said.