Will ties between Mitsubishi Motors and Nissan be strengthened further? Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi Motors is preparing to join a strategic partnership between its compatriots Honda and Nissan, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, as the Japanese car giants struggle to gain ground against competition, especially in the electric sector.
According to the paper, Mitsubishi Motors “will join the Honda-Nissan alliance framework, and the three companies will work together to improve their competitiveness in order to survive in a highly competitive market.” Between them, these manufacturers are expected to sell about 8.3 million vehicles worldwide.
Developing integrated software together
According to Nikkei, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi want to reach an agreement to standardise the on-board software that controls the vehicles. These would be developed by the first two and could be used in the cars of the third. This new software would have “over-the-air” updates, like those of smartphones, sufficient to evolve the functionalities of the vehicles and stay in the race alongside Tesla or Chinese manufacturers. But these developments represent a very important financial starting point.
The manufacturers could also complete their respective vehicle ranges, the paper said, citing a possible deal between Honda, which does not make plug-in hybrid vehicles, with Mitsubishi, or even a collaboration in the field of minivehicles.
Asked by AFP, Mitsubishi Motors said it declined to comment.
“Our industry is at a significant turning point”
Honda and Nissan, Japan’s second- and third-largest automakers respectively behind Toyota, said in March they were considering a “strategic partnership” in electrics and software, uniting in the face of challenges they face despite their historic rivalry.
“Our industry is at a significant turning point” with the arrival of “new players” in addition to the traditional car manufacturers, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said at a joint press conference.
Japanese manufacturers are seeking to rapidly strengthen their position in the electric sector, a market whose global growth in recent years, especially in China and Europe, has outpaced the entire Japanese automotive industry.
Source: BFM TV
