The tail end of 2024 brought some big automotive news as word came of an agreement between Honda and Nissan regarding a possible partnership. Talks are underway and will intensify in the coming months, as an agreement must be reached by August 2026.
Nothing is decided yet, but it’s clear both companies can gain from finding common ground. Above all, the activities of the two manufacturers are complementary, so both could emerge as winners from a potential partnership.
And what kind of new models could the Honda-Nissan group produce? Speculation is rife, but during a round table held this week at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Honda executives provided some details on the possible collaboration between the companies, and on the type of model that could result from it.
The main comments were made by Noriya Kaihara, Honda's director and senior managing director. He explained that “We are still discussing with Nissan how we will proceed. In the short term, especially in the U.S. market, Nissan has a large class [of] vehicles that we don't have.”
That’s a nod to Nissan’s full-size SUVs, such as the Nissan Armada, as well as the Infiniti QX80; those models are larger and more spacious than Honda's largest offering, the Pilot SUV.
Kaihara added that “if maybe we can exchange some of the vehicles, that would also be a benefit for us in the short term. Maybe in the future, we can co-develop those vehicles," he said. "But in the short term, if we need, we can get some of the Nissan vehicles for Honda as well. She did make clear that “the important thing is the Honda brand is still Honda, we are not merging the brand of Nissan with Honda.”
In the long term, Honda sees the agreement with Nissan as an advantage for the development of its operating system. At CES, the company confirmed that it was developing its own system, the ASIMO OS, which is expected to debut in the 0-series electric vehicles starting in 2026. “This would be quite an impact for us… from a financial point of view," Kaihara said. He added that “If we could have Nissan collaboration, we could share the [development costs].”
With a process set to continue throughout the year, we will certainly have more news to share with you regarding the possible partnership between Honda and Nissan.