Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi join forces on electrification
Mitsubishi is joining a collaboration between Nissan and Honda that will see the sharing of components and potentially even platforms among the brands.
Nissan and Mitsubishi are already part of an Alliance, but now they’re collaborating with Honda.
With Toyota already working with Daihatsu, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki, the remaining major Japanese players have joined forces on electrification.
Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi have signed a memorandum of understanding “to jointly discuss a framework for further intelligence and electrification of automobiles”.
This follows an announcement by Honda and Nissan in March they were investigating whether they should work together on electrification and intelligence.
Now, Mitsubishi is getting in on the action, and these companies are working together “to further accelerate initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a zero-traffic-accident society”, which will involve looking at electrification and software development.
They’re touting the advantage of integrating the technologies and knowledge of each company to help find synergies and “new business opportunities”.
Nissan and Honda, in a subsequent press release, have confirmed they will “consider supplementing models from a short-term to medium- to long-term perspective”, suggesting there’ll be some platform-sharing between the two brands.
There’s no mention of Mitsubishi in this, however the three-diamond brand already shares platforms with Nissan.
In the short term, Honda and Nissan have reached an agreement on models and regions to be complemented by each company, with both companies agreeing on the outline of a “product review system”.
They note this includes not only EVs but also combustion-powered vehicles.
Honda and Nissan are also working on a next-generation “software-defined vehicle” (SDV) platform.
They aim to complete their basic research on the project in approximately one year, before considering the possibility of mass production.
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Nissan and Honda have agreed to share electric motors and inverters and harmonise the specifications of their e-axles over the medium to long term for use in their next-generation EVs.
They’re also looking to cooperate on batteries, bringing together their technologies and assets.
In the medium-to-long-term, they’ll harmonise the specifications of their battery cell modules so both companies can use each other’s batteries.
They’re studying the supply of lithium-ion batteries from Honda and LG Energy Solution’s joint venture, L-H Battery Company, Inc. – to Nissan in North America after 2028.
“The automobile industry is in a period of transformation said to occur once in a century,” said Honda president Toshihiro Mibe.
“We expect that the combination of technologies and knowledge cultivated by Nissan and Honda, as well as the strength and experience of Mitsubishi Motors, will enable us to more quickly resolve various issues related to electrification and intelligence on a global scale, and help lead societal reforms as a top runner.”
“We are very pleased to welcome a new member to the strategic partnership between Honda and Nissan. Mitsubishi Motors has unique technologies and expertise and has been collaborating with Nissan as a partner,” said Nissan president and CEO Makoto Uchida.
“Through collaboration among the three companies, we expect the partnership to evolve into something that creates greater value, and to deliver unique products and services from each company that meet the diverse needs of customers.”
When asked about the industry’s rapid pace of change earlier this year, Mibe-san said: “Can we survive? That’s the question. By 2030, we have to be a top runner, in a position to fight against the top players.”
Uchida-san echoed these sentiments, stating: “We cannot afford to be complacent. Emerging players are making inroads with high competitiveness and totally different business models.”
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has long dreamed about a partnership or merger between Honda and Nissan. Honda’s strong desire for independence, and Renault’s controlling stake in Nissan have kiboshed these hopes.
