Earlier this week, the Japanese daily Nikkei reported on an imminent partnership between Mitsubishi, Honda and Nissan for the development of automotive software, among other technologies. The automakers confirmed the partnership yesterday.
More precisely, Mitsubishi is joining a pre-existing partnership between Honda and Nissan.
In a joint statement, the automakers said they had signed a protocol to jointly explore the potential for collaboration, particularly in the fields of electrification and software development. The arrival of Mitsubishi will create additional synergies and business opportunities.
Among Japanese automakers, this deal means there are now two major groups; Toyota has entered into agreements with Mazda and Subaru.
The connection between Nissan and Mitsubishi is a natural one, both firms being part of the Renault alliance, and with Nissan owning 34 percent of Mitsubishi. The latter company has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently in the field of battery leasing for electric vehicles via a joint venture called Altna.
The aim behind all this is of course to help cut costs, but also to pool forces to catch up with the competition in the EV sector. Korean automakers have been very aggressive in that domain, and knowing the rivalry between the two countries, there's certainly a desire to catch up on the Japanese side.
Looming over all that are the advances being made in the electric-vehicle segments by Chinese manufacturers, who have the benefit of substantial government aid and are also moving aggressively into global markets.
Let the games begin.