The Honda-Nissan merger hit a snag over the former’s desire to take a high level control over the latter, though Nissan isn’t done searching for a partner to help it reclaim some of its former glory. A Japanese group has written a plan that involves Tesla, hoping that the American EV maker will take a financial stake in Nissan.
The group includes a former prime minister, his aide, and a former Tesla board member. Their hope is that Tesla invests in Nissan, saying they think the automaker would want to acquire Nissan’s American manufacturing footprint. Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed to agree in a response to the news on X, saying, “The Tesla factory is the product. The Cybercab production line is like nothing else in the automotive industry.”
Nissan’s stock climbed after the news, though it declined to confirm reports of the development. It’s unclear how a Tesla-Nissan tie-up might look, but it’s hard to believe Musk would allow an investment without a significant return, which could end up being more restrictive on Nissan than Honda’s terms.
That said, Honda’s leadership left the door open to future negotiations on a merger, saying it would be receptive to restarting the talks after Nissan’s CEO steps down. The merger would have made the combined company the world’s fourth-largest automaker and could have helped both companies compete with the waves of Chinese vehicles hitting the market.
[Images: Nissan, Tesla]
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