Will it be a Hossan or Ninda? Honda dumps GM, plans new family of affordable electric cars with Nissan
Nissan and Honda have co-signed a historic deal that will see the two major Japanese car-makers join forces to fast-track a new family of EVs that will be sold globally.
The new alliance, dubbed a ‘strategic partnership in the fields of vehicle electrification and intelligence mobility’, will see both Honda and Nissan develop both core components for EVs as well as all-new automotive software platforms.
Designed to help both Honda and former EV pioneer, Nissan, play catch up with brands like Tesla and emerging Chinese rivals, the new arrangement follows shortly after Honda terminated its proposed EV venture with General Motors.
One car, the Honda Prologue (pictured top), has already been released as a result of that dissolved partnership.
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It’s not known if the ultimate aim of the new deal is to also help Honda roll out a new family of affordable electric cars, but originally the brand declared that from now until 2030 it will launch 30 new EVs.
As part of the plan it’s thought Nissan might share its next-gen electric tech as the brand is believed to be well under way to developing replacements for, not only its ageing LEAF, but also battery-powered successors to the current Juke and QASHQAI SUVs.
Part of the attraction of joining forces with Nissan could be to gain access to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance CMF-EV platform that currently underpins the Nissan Ariya and the Renault Megane E-Tech.
A smaller less sophisticated version will also be used under the low-cost small hatchbacks like the Renault 5 and the cheaper Renault Twingo.
Sharing the high costs of its EVs will also help both car-makers engage both the price war in China and the race to the bottom in Europe, where multiple car-makers are rushing to produce affordable EVs for less than €20,000 ($A33,000).
In the wake of the failure of the Honda-GM joint venture, the Japanese car-maker has already pressed ahead and announced it is working with Sony to launch its Afeela EV and revealed its 0 Series Saloon concept that will spearhead its next-generation of battery-electric cars.
The firm has also previewed an electric Honda Prelude coupe, with some speculating the that the development of that car could be shared with Nissan to enable a replacement for the original Nissan 200SX.
Back in Australia, Nissan has still to launch the Ariya that has been on sale in Europe for almost two years, while Honda Australia says it doesn’t plan to introduce an electric car for our market until 2028 at the earliest.
Commenting on the deal, Nissan CEO Makota Uchida said: “It is important to prepare for the increasing pace of transformation in mobility in the mid-to-long-term, and it is significant that we have reached this agreement based on a mutual understanding that Honda and Nissan face common challenges.”
Honda’s president Toshihiro Mibe welcomed the new partnership: “In this period of once-in-a-century transformation in the automotive industry, we will examine the potential for partnership between Nissan and Honda.”
