Honda and Nissan announced this Monday that they will engage in negotiations aimed at a merger expected to take place in 2026.
The merger between the second and third largest Japanese car manufacturers is expected to result in the third largest car manufacturer in the world, although Carlos Ghosn, former CEO of Nissan, does not believe that the merger between the two Japanese companies can proceed, considering it a “desperate move” on Nissan’s part.
In statements to “Bloomberg“, Ghosn highlighted the lack of complementarity between the two Japanese brands and suggested that the Japanese government might be influencing the negotiations due to Nissan’s financial difficulties.
For the former CEO, from an industry perspective, there is “duplication everywhere; they have the same products. The brands are very, very similar”. Ghosn added, “If this merger goes through, personally, I do not believe it will be successful”, he added, who led the alliance between Nissan and Renault for many years.
It is worth noting that Carlos Ghosn left Nissan following a scandal that included accusations of concealing income and using company resources for personal gain, and he is currently residing in Lebanon after fleeing Japan, where he was detained, in December 2019.
