Carlos Ghosn: Honda Plans to Acquire Nissan and Mitsubishi!

Carlos Ghosn, a highly controversial CEO in the automotive industry, fearlessly expressed some controversial views. He previously stated that Nissan has become boring and is in a poor position, describing the Renault-Nissan alliance as fragile. Now at the age of 70, Ghosn has new insights regarding the newly formed partnership between Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. Ghosn pointed out that Honda is planning a "compelling acquisition" of Nissan and Mitsubishi. He believes that Honda is the largest among Japan's three automakers, putting the company in a leading position within this alliance. Although the specific details of the new agreement remain unclear, the former Nissan chief claims that Honda will make the decisions in this partnership. He stated, "I can't imagine what the relationship between Honda and Nissan would be like without an acquisition. It will be a compelling acquisition by Honda of Nissan and Mitsubishi, with Honda at the helm." Ghosn also confirmed that the possibility of collaborating with Honda was never on the table during his tenure at Nissan. He served as CEO from June 2001 until April 2017 when he stepped down, but remained chairman. Ghosn initially joined Nissan in June 1999 as Chief Operating Officer when the Renault-Nissan alliance was established, during which Renault acquired a 43.4% stake in Nissan. At the end of 2023, Renault decided to resell 5% back to Nissan. Before joining Nissan, Ghosn played a key role in restructuring Renault while serving as Vice President of the French automaker. During his time at Renault, he became known as the "cost killer" due to his aggressive restructuring agenda. It is worth noting that Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 on charges of misusing Nissan funds and deliberately underreporting his annual salary for nearly five years. He subsequently fled from house arrest in Japan in December 2019, escaping to Lebanon, a country that does not extradite its citizens. Regarding the newly formed Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi alliance, details remain scarce. However, Honda and Nissan have separately signed a deal to work on battery and electric motor development. Additionally, Nissan and Honda will complement each other's combustion engine lineups and fully electric models. Nissan continues to hold a 34% stake in Mitsubishi.