3 weeks ago
28
The proposed merger between the two brands could see Honda introduce full-size models co-developed with Nissan.
The Nissan Patrol off-road SUV and Nissan Navara ute could soon have a Honda twin.
At the end of 2024, Honda and Nissan officially announced discussions to merge as one company were underway – with Mitsubishi due to announce later this month if it also intends to join – allowing the car makers to share resources and reduce costs.
Noriya Kaihara, director and executive vice president of Honda Motor Company, said discussions are continuing with Nissan on how it would proceed under a merger while revealing full-size models Honda doesn’t currently offer were an area of interest.
“Nissan has a little bit larger class, e-segment vehicles that we don’t have at this moment,” Kaihara said, as reported by Automotive News.
“So, if we can exchange some of our vehicles, that would be a benefit for us in the short term.”
In the United States – the most important market for both manufacturers – Honda’s largest vehicle is the car-based Pilot seven-seat SUV and its Ridgeline dual-cab ute twin, while the biggest Nissan models offered are the Armada body-on-frame SUV (the Patrol) and Frontier mid-size ute.
The Frontier is a relative to an older version of the global Navara – with revised underpinnings derived from the 20-year-old D40 model – but the next Frontier and Navara are rumoured to merge, bringing them in line with the current Mitsubishi Triton.
Nissan did offer the full-size Titan pick-up – a rival to the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 – in the US and Canada, but it was discontinued in 2024 due to poor sales.
“Maybe in the future, we can co-develop those [full-size] vehicles,” Kaihara added, according to Car and Driver.
“But in the short term, if we need we can get some of the Nissan vehicles for Honda as well.”
The comment suggests Honda could initially sell rebadged versions of Nissan's larger vehicles – such as the Armada and Frontier – then co-develop new-generation models, but these would be unlikely to arrive before 2030.
Meanwhile, Nissan could access Honda’s smaller vehicles or the technologies from these models, such as their full-hybrid systems.
Nissan unveiled the next-generation Armada – sold in Australia and the Middle East as the Patrol – in September 2024, following its Infiniti QX80 luxury twin, which could be used as the basis for a future Acura model.
Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury division, while Acura is the same to Honda.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
