Merger Honda And Nissan's Certainty Reported Postponed To February, Mitsubishi Canceled?

Announcement of plans for the merger of Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi late last year. (Photo: Honda)

JAKARTA Two automotive giants from Japan, Honda and Nissan, are reportedly exploring a planned merger. This move shocked the global automotive world and sparked great speculation about the future of the two companies.

Initially, the official announcement of the merger was scheduled for the end of January. However, based on a report from Carscoops quoted on Tuesday, February 4, the agenda was postponed until mid-February. An anonymous source said Honda still needed additional time to evaluate the plan before making a final decision.

On the other hand, Nissan and Renault's former boss, Carlos Ghosn, claims that Honda's involvement in this merger is not entirely their initiative. According to him, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry pressured Honda to approve the merger to save Nissan from the financial crisis.

Honda itself does not rule out joining, but asserts that Nissan must prove its ability to rise operationally and financially before the merger is actually realized.

Currently, Nissan is facing a big challenge. The company has announced the cutting of 9,000 workers worldwide, reducing global production capacity by 20 percent, and early retirement programs at its three factories in the United States.

In this dynamics, Mitsubishi was also dragged into the merger talks. However, reports show that Mitsubishi prefers to stand alone and sell cars independently. Even so, the company still opens up opportunities for limited collaboration with Honda and Nissan in the future.

This merger still leaves a lot of question marks. Will Honda and Nissan really join? Or will this step end without an agreement? We are waiting for further developments.