Nissan has walked away from a potential merger deal with Honda that would have created the world’s fourth largest carmaker.
The talks are reported to have fallen apart after Honda changed the originally agreed structure of a joint holding company, insisting instead that Nissan should be a wholly-owned subsidiary. This prompted Nissan’s CEO, Makoto Uchida, to head to see his counterpart - Honda chief Toshihiro Mibe - to stop the merger talks. The decision was driven by fear of losing decision-making power and their brand being weakened under Honda management, said the Financial Times.
Nissan is now reported to be on the hunt for a strategic partner and it might be an organization outside of the automotive industry. Among the possible deals is one with Taiwanese iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn. It has previously shown interest in buying part of Renault’s stake in Nissan last year. The FT also points out that it would be a strategic move to help the Taiwanese venture boost its EV division.
According to AP News, Foxconn has the ambition of producing four of every 10 EVs sold in the world. It has also invested nearly $1.3 billion in auto-related acquisitions in the past ten years. The company will, however, be going up against a huge number of competitors in a market very much dominated by Tesla. However, a deal with Nissan would be a huge boon.
