Although the Honda-Nissan merger failed, the two companies are still interested in collaborating.
Honda CEO and President Toshihiro Mibe says they're "close to an announcement."
The two are working on several projects, but there aren't any merger plans.
Honda and Nissan grabbed headlines in December 2024 when they signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore a merger. By February the following year, however, the two Japanese brands had already decided not to proceed with a single new holding company. Why? Reuters reported at the time that, rather than the initially stated merger of equals, Honda wanted to take control and turn Nissan into a subsidiary. The deal also fell apart because Honda pushed for deeper job cuts and plant closures, which met resistance from Nissan.
Although the merger talks ended abruptly only a few months after the announcement, it didn’t take long for reports to emerge about a different type of tie-up between the two companies. Now, Honda’s CEO and president has confirmed that a deal with Nissan is close. Nikkei Asia cites Toshihiro Mibe telling shareholders that negotiations between the two Japanese brands are “quite far along, with some aspects close to an announcement.”
