Nissan and Mitsubishi to set up a 50-50 joint company to develop minicars
By Andrew, 15 Dec, 2010. 0 Comments
2011 Nissan Micra
According to the latest reports from Automotive News, it appears that Nissan and Mitsubishi will set a 50-50 joint company next year to develop minicars that will be sold globally. The new minicar will hit the market in 2012 under the agreement, and Nissan is set to supply a light van and wagon to Mitsubishi in Japan. Moreover, Mitsubishi will sell a sport-utility vehicle to Nissan in the Middle East.
The new partnership will give both manufacturers greater economies of scale and will allow them to enter new market segments with less investment. Furthermore, the manufacturers are in talks about possibly cooperating on electric vehicles. Currently Nissan makes the Leaf electric vehicle, while Mitsubishi builds the i-MiEV.
“This agreement is important for Nissan as it supports our expansion in emerging markets, meets immediate capacity needs overseas and enables us to grow our minicar business in Japan,” said Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in a statement. According to Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at consulting company Carnorama in Tokyo, it seems that the new alliance will be a good one, and a better cooperation in electric vehicles is expected. [via autonews - sub. required]
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