Honda’s partnership with General Motors yielded the Prologue EV and Acura ZDX, and the Japanese automaker is now looking to team up with Nissan to do more of the same. The pair announced their fresh collaboration at a news conference earlier today.
Nissan and Honda are Japan’s third and second largest automakers after Toyota, and the partnership will involve EV parts sharing and the potential for battery design work in the future. The pair haven’t detailed the entire relationship yet but said that they would conduct a study to find the best ways to collaborate.
Both see the agreement as a way to remain competitive and manage costs as they work to stave off intense competition from Chinese and South Korean automakers. Together, the companies offer suppliers a much larger and more attractive purchasing entity, lowering unit costs. Even so, the two combined won’t threaten Toyota’s dominance.
The move would help Nissan get its EV plans back on track after a bumpy start for the Ariya. The automaker is also reportedly considering a significant investment in the struggling Fisker, which could give it access to an electric pickup truck. That said, the company’s sales in the U.S. trail Honda and Toyota, and the Hyundai-Kia industrial machine isn’t far behind.
Honda could accelerate its EV program as it looks to expand beyond the Prologue. Its partnership with Sony will deliver a new car soon, but Honda and GM nixed plans to team up to produce lower-cost electric models.
[Image: Nissan]
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