Three legendary Japanese brands join forces. This is the new alliance

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi have already competed fiercely with each other. The fight between the Honda NSX and the Mitsubishi 3000GT and the Nissan 300ZX, the competition between the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Nissan Patrol, or simply the Nissan Micra against the Honda Jazz and the Mitsubishi Colt are true “classic” automotive duels. But now the companies know that they have to unite to withstand the competition from a much more formidable rival. Namely, with the Chinese automotive industry. That is why the media rumors from a few days ago have been officially confirmed, and the three brands mentioned above – namely Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi have formed an alliance. The signed strategic partnership agreement involves joint analysis regarding the future development of intelligent and electrified products. The basis for the deal was the agreement signed between Nissan and Honda on March 15. This means that Mitsubishi has joined an alliance that has only been in operation for a short time. This should not be surprising, given that Nissan owns 34% of Mitsubishi’s shares.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi are working to accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and a traffic-free society. Extensive talks are ongoing between the companies in anticipation of cooperation in areas such as environmental technologies, electrification technologies and software development. “We are delighted to welcome a new member of the strategic partnership to Honda and Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors has unique technologies and expertise, and is also a partner of Nissan. We hope that through the collaboration between our three companies, the partnership will transform into value, bringing greater benefits to each partner and providing unique products and services that meet the diverse needs of customers,” said Makoto Uchida, president, CEO and executive officer of Nissan.

“The automotive industry is undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation. We hope that the combination of expertise and technologies developed by Nissan and Honda, as well as the potential and experience of Mitsubishi Motors, will enable us to more quickly solve various problems related to smart and electrified products on a global scale, and also help us play a key role in the process of social change,” said Toshihiro Mibe, president, CEO and executive director of Honda. “Discussions between Nissan and Honda about a possible partnership have gained momentum and we have decided to participate in this venture. Collaboration with partners is essential in today’s automotive industry, which is undergoing rapid changes resulting from the implementation of innovations in the areas of smart technologies and drive electrification. We believe that thanks to the cooperation of our three companies, we can find new prospects in various fields,” added Takao Kato, president, CEO and executive director of Mitsubishi Motors. What will be the effects of the cooperation? It would certainly be great to see, for example, a new sports model. Instead, we will probably only see some “electric” ones. It seems that today joining forces is the only way to survive.