Nissan mulling EV tie-up with Honda to take on rivals

Nissan is considering cooperation with fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda in the electric vehicle sector, which could see the creation of an alliance between the Japanese carmakers aimed at taking on overseas EV rivals such as Tesla, Kyodo News has reported.

Citing sources close to the matter, the publication reported that Nissan is considering the joint procurement of parts and the sharing of major components for future EVs from Nissan as well as Honda in order to lower costs, however discussions with Nissan are still in the early stages, Honda’s position on the cooperation is unclear for now.

“I would say it is a realistic move. They could also expand the scope of cooperation to hybrid cars and batteries,” said Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory senior analyst Seiji Sugiura, according to Kyodo News.

Nissan announced its expedited Ambition 2030 strategy in February last year, revealing that it would release 19 new EVs by 2030, as part of 27 new electrified models that it will roll out by that time. Meanwhile, Honda laid out its EV plans in 2022, stating that it plans to roll out 30 EVs by 2030, and has targeted an annual production volume of two million units.

Honda and Sony signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March 2022, which was followed by the formal establishment of Sony Honda Mobility for the joint development of “high value-added battery electric vehicles”. Last January, Sony and Honda announced its joint EV brand, Afeela, which will have its first car go on sale in North America in 2026.

Honda had partnered with General Motors in 2022 for the co-development of affordable EVs using the latter’s Ultium platform, which saw the emergence of the Prologue electric SUV in 2023. Shortly thereafter, the two companies scrapped the joint development of affordable EVs.

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