In an attempt to remain competitive on the path to complete electrification, leading Japanese automakers Nissan Motor and Honda Motor are reportedly considering a blockbuster merger that would rock the global automotive industry.
According to sources close to the situation, Japanese business journal Nikkeire claimed tonight that Nissan and Honda are preparing to begin merger talks and that the domestic counterparts are anticipated to sign a memorandum of agreement soon. According to reports, the two businesses would also want to include Mitsubishi Motors in the transaction, of which Nissan is the largest stakeholder with a 24% interest.
According to Citi, the potential merger may result in the third-largest auto business in the world by vehicle sales, with 8 million sales per year. As a result, Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi would lag behind German automaker Volkswagen and fellow Japanese automaker Toyota Motor, respectively.
Honda and Nissan made identical remarks in which they did neither confirm or refute the Nikkei report.
At a time when many auto companies are finding it difficult to handle the heightened global rivalry from larger electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla and China’s BYD, the merger study was released.
In March, Nissan and Honda established a strategic alliance to work together on manufacturing essential EV components.
However, a megamerger is anticipated to encounter a number of challenges. Given the possibility of job cutbacks should a transaction go through and the termination of Nissan’s partnership with French automaker Renault being seen as crucial to the process, analysts have voiced concerns about the possibility of political scrutiny in Japan.
“The reported merger is a really important development that could help Nissan and Honda pool their assets, save money on costs, and create the technologies they need for the future,” said Peter Wells, professor of business and sustainability at Cardiff Business School’s Centre for Automotive Industry Research.
Over the last 12 months or so, there has been a lot of conjecture regarding Nissan’s situation. It has been attempting to balance or equalize its relationship with Renault, but it has been having difficulty, Wells said on Wednesday on CNBC’s Street Signs Europe.
It lacks the proper product lineup and has been having difficulties both domestically and in the market. “There are so many red flags and warning signs around Nissan right now that something had to happen,” he continued. It remains to be seen if this is the solution.
According to statistics firm FactSet, Nissan’s shares surged about 24% on Wednesday, marking the company’s biggest trading day in at least 40 years. The price of the company’s Tokyo-listed stock has dropped by over 25% so far this year.
In contrast, Honda’s stock fell 3.2% during New York premarket trade.
Barriers to a possible merger
Asked whether consolidation between Nissan and Honda could emerge as a good recourse to combat the competition from Chinese EV carmakers, Cardiff Business School s Wells said the deal could be characterized as a traditional solution.
My concerns would be that perhaps they have left it a bit late, that they don t have the current technology and set-up [or] the right product to compete in their key markets, Wells said.
For Nissan particularly, they are out of step with the U.S. market. He went on to say it’s their main worry and that they can’t resolve it anytime soon.
JPMorgan s Akira Kishimoto shared similar views on some of the barriers to a prospective Nissan-Honda merger, saying the hurdles to overcome would be high.
At a minimum, we think Nissan needs to clarify where its particularly complex capital relationship with Renault, which involves the French government, will end up and also provide details on the restructuring proposal it announced, Kishimoto said in a research note published Wednesday.
We think Honda needs to show how it will manage major [battery electric vehicles] and battery investments in Canada, Kishimoto said.
JPMorgan said it would now need to wait for any concrete announcements from either company.
‘Full-scale transformation of the auto industry’
This tie-up is not entirely unexpected because obviously they announced their partnership earlier this year, Lucinda Guthrie, executive editor at Mergermarket, told CNBC s Street Signs Europe on Wednesday.
Some of thereportsI ve seen claim that this came about as a result ofFoxconnmaking an approach to Nissan. Now, with this particular transaction, I question whether it is going to be a hardcore merger or whether it is going to be more of a partnership, she added.
Applesupplier Foxconn approached Nissan about taking a stake, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed source. The Taiwan-based company has been investing heavily in EVs in recent years. CNBC has contacted Foxconn for comment.
Echoing the latest development, Honda recently tested the water over a partnership withGeneral Motors, beforeultimately deciding to walk away.
Speculation over consolidation between Honda and Nissan could follow a similar trajectory, Guthrie said.
You have to bear in mind that this would have to come with the Japanese government s blessing because there is the potential for workforce cuts but then, how are the Japanese automakers going to compete with the low-cost vehicles from China? Guthrie said.
Citi s Arifumi Yoshida said a merger would likely have a negative impact for Honda, but a positive one for Nissan and Mitsubishi.
Given Honda s competitiveness in motorcycles and [hybrid electric vehicles] and the strength of its brand, we believe it is positioned to take on rivals for the next 5-10 years, Yoshida said in a research note published Wednesday.
Yoshida nevertheless said the decision could be viewed as one made in anticipation of the full-scale transformation of the auto industry.
CNBC s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.
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