Earlier this year, Honda-Nissan alliance had hinted at including another fellow Japanese brand into its alliance and now it is official. In what is possibly the biggest Japanese automaker alliance till date, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi have joined forces to work on EVs and software.
Comments from head honchos
Takao Kato, Representative Executive Officer, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors, commented: "Nissan and Honda's discussions on a possible partnership have progressed, and we have decided to participate in this framework. Collaboration with partners is essential in today's automotive industry, which is undergoing rapid changes due to technological innovations such as electrification and intelligence. We believe that we can discover new possibilities in a variety of fields through collaboration among the three companies."
Makoto Uchida, Representative Executive Officer, President and CEO, Nissan, said: "We are very pleased to welcome a new member to the strategic partnership between Honda and Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors has unique technologies and expertise and has been collaborating with Nissan as a partner. Through collaboration among the three companies, we expect the partnership to evolve into something that creates greater value, and to deliver unique products and services from each company that meet the diverse needs of customers."
Toshihiro Mibe, President and Representative Executive Officer, Honda, stated: "The automobile industry is in a period of transformation said to occur once in a century. We expect that the combination of technologies and knowledge cultivated by Nissan and Honda, as well as the strength and experience of Mitsubishi Motors, will enable us to more quickly resolve various issues related to electrification and intelligence on a global scale, and help lead societal reforms as a top runner."
More Nissan-Honda news
Nissan and Honda have also announced that they will be having "mutual vehicle complementation." This simply means rebadging of models, both ICE and EVs, is set to take place in the future. They will also invest together to work on software concerned with autonomous driving technology, connectivity, and artificial intelligence. New batteries and electrically driven axles are also set to be jointly developed.
However, this announcement didn’t mention Mitsubhishi just yet as the carmaker has recently signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
Japanese carmakers coming together
With Toyota acquiring stakes in Subaru, Suzuki and Mazda, it means that the Japanese carmaker is quite consolidated now. With China emerging as the number 1 in the EV market, the Japanese are joining forces to combat them.
Nissan itself has made great progress regarding solid-state batteries and outlined its masterplan to have 16 EVs out of 30 vehicles sold by the carmaker by 2026. Honda and Mitsubishi will help Nissan in further achieving its target. No big models have been announced yet from the alliance.
