Honda and Nissan Alliance, Renault Disappointed?

To counter the Tesla and BYD wave, Nissan and Honda announce a joint electric vehicle development project.

To everyone’s surprise, Nissan and Honda announced on Friday, March 15th, a joint electric vehicle development project. This partnership should help both brands finally find their place in an increasingly competitive market. This union also aims to spread artificial intelligence across all their model ranges. A union that is likely to cause some friction with Renault, as it comes just a few weeks after the brand’s disengagement.

Although Nissan and Honda are two pillars of affordable internal combustion engine vehicles, both brands have struggled to make a mark in the electric vehicle segment. In a rapidly evolving electric world, it has become urgent to find ways to accelerate these developments to try to catch the Shinkansen in motion.

Who helps whom?

In a relationship, achieving harmony and perfect balance is never easy. Nissan, which is just emerging from a challenging yet fruitful relationship with Renault, knows this better than anyone. However, that did not stop them from throwing themselves into Honda’s arms once the amicable divorce was finalized with a large show of shares and millions. Provocation? It’s not impossible, given Japanese pride, because it’s hard to see what Honda could bring to the table that Renault has not already offered.

Overall, Japanese automakers have significantly lagged behind in electric vehicle development. Tesla and BYD, to mention the two main players, have far surpassed them both in production capacity and manufacturing quality. Even Renault and Stellantis, which started slightly behind, are catching up thanks to the development of native electric platforms adaptable to multiple body styles, such as Stellantis’ exceptional STLA range.

Going all-electric is not the only path. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, continues to prioritize the optimization of its hybrid solutions so far.