Honda and Nissan team up to develop battery electric vehicles
- Honda had reached an agreement with GM in 2022 regarding the joint development of “affordable” electric vehicles. In October 2023, the two carmakers decided to abandon this project which was to supposed to be concrete through the marketing from 2027 of battery electric vehicles at less than 30,000 euros. GM and Honda said at this time that “the outlook for electric vehicles has darkened due to higher-than-expected costs, lack of infrastructure and slowing demand.”
- This cancel, however, had the consequence of making the development of battery electric cars by GM and Honda separately more difficult and more expensive. Even more so for “affordable” battery electric vehicles. GM is therefore today focusing its efforts on the Chevrolet Bolt which is located in the 30,000 euro price zone, while having few illusions about the success of its other much more expensive BEVs, such as the Cadillac. Which will cause him problems in the long term.
- As for Honda, which still plans to market only battery electric vehicles in 2040 and which is aware of the delay compared to Chinese carmakers, it has decided to turn to a new partner to collaborate in the development of electric vehicles, thus proving that the problem was not the electric vehicle market itself, but the former partner… Honda turned to Nissan which already has a little experience in the development of battery electric vehicles.
- This merger, however, risks frustrating Renault which still had to develop some joint projects with Nissan, including the study of the future electric Nissan Micra planned to be produced in the Douai factory located in the north of France.