Mitsubishi Won’t Join Honda-Nissan Merger

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is leaning toward not participating in the planned merger between Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co., instead focusing on strengthening its cooperation with the two larger companies, a source close to the matter revealed, Kyodo News reported.

Mitsubishi, a key Nissan partner, has a strong presence in Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia and the Philippines. I Photo: Christoph Roser, AllAboutLean.com, free CC-BY-SA 4.0 license

The decision reflects Mitsubishi's concerns about losing management control if it joins the Nissan-Honda merger under a holding company. Mitsubishi, a key Nissan partner, has a strong presence in Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

Uncertainty remains about the potential synergies of a merger between Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi at a time when the automotive industry is rapidly transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced software development—areas in which all three companies have faced challenges.

“At this stage, we are considering various possibilities, and we have not decided on a specific direction,” Mitsubishi said in a statement, as reported by Mainichi Shimbun.