It was alleged that advisors to the prime minister were among those who pushed for it.
According to insiders, the Japanese government tried to force Honda and Nissan to merge in late 2019. According to reports, advisors to Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister, were among those pushing for the automakers’ merger.
Following the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, government officials were concerned about the future relationship between Renault Nissan and Renault. According to the Financial Times, a collapse of their alliance would “leave Japan exposed.”
The government’s plan was rejected by both automakers. According to reports, the plan never reached as high as either company’s board. Honda officials had problems with Renault’s capital structure. People at Nissan preferred to stay with their existing alliance.
Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi unveiled a revised business plan in May 2020 that gave each company a specific region. The future focus of Nissan will be China, North America and Japan.
Nissan has a four-year strategy for restructuring. This includes reducing global production to 20% and reducing its lineup from the current 69 models to 55 models. In the next 18 months , 12 new versions of 12 vehicles will be introduced by the company. These include the Ariya electric crossover and Frontier, Kicks. Note, Pathfinder. Qashqai. Rogue. Terra. X-Trail.
Honda is also in the midst of a new vehicle boom, although not as big as Nissan. The new Civic will be available in sedan or hatchback body in 2021. The coupe has been discontinued. The 2021 model year will see refreshes of the Accord as well as the Ridgeline pickup. A new is expected to arrive in 2022.