Mitsubishi Might Not Join Honda-Nissan Merger

One month ago, executives from Honda and Nissan confirmed plans to merge into a larger alliance that would also include Mitsubishi. Now, according to a new report from Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper backed up by Reuters, Mitsubishi could opt out of joining into the merged company after all.

The Reuters report, which cites three anonymous sources, notes that the brand is considering a plan where it would not join the merger between two other Japanese automotive titans. Instead, Mitsubishi leadership would plan to keep the company independently listed while “continuing its cooperative relationship with both companies.” This could allow Mitsubishi to benefit from technology and manufacturing alliances with the merged company, while staying in control of its own destiny for the near future.

Under this plan, Nissan and Honda would continue with their merger as planned and continue toward developing a merged holding company by mid-2026. Nissan currently owns 24% of Mitsubishi Motors, and the merged company could continue to hold some stake without fully bringing Mitsubishi into the fold.

As of 2024, the combined Honda-Nissan company represents an annual global production of 7.2 million cars, trucks, and SUVs. Mitsubishi would have chipped in nearly 900,000 units of its own, a substantial number that would have brought the group over the 8 million mark. Even without the contribution from Mitsubishi, the merged Honda-Nissan group should stack up as the third or fourth largest automaker by production in the world. For context: last year, Toyota was the leader of the pack, with total annual sales of over 11 million units.

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