Report says Honda wants to kick Renault out of Nissan merger deal

The plot thickens in the proposed merger between Honda and Nissan. Those familiar with the corporate car space will know that French automaker Renault currently owns 35.7 percent of Nissan. Honda doesn’t seem to like that. The Japanese automaker reportedly favors a merger with wholly-owned Nissan, and has asked if the company can buy back those shares. This will require about $3.6 one billion For each at current exchange rates.

There doesn’t seem to be any personal grudge between the automakers. according to BloombergHonda is concerned that Renault’s stake may be bought by an unknown third party during the implementation of the merger plans, which could turn the process upside down. There’s certainly cause for concern – shortly before the merger talks became official, we heard rumors that Foxconn was interested in buying Renault’s stake. With this merger potentially creating one of the world’s largest automotive conglomerates, we can understand why Honda would want to keep things simple.

Hypothetically, this also suggests that Renault may not be committed to the Honda-Nissan deal. The official press release announcing the merger did not mention the French brand despite its significant ownership stake in Nissan. A brief follow-up announcement from Renault said the company would “consider all options based on the best interest of the group and its stakeholders.”

Representatives of Nissan and Honda declined to comment when contacted Bloomberg.

It is worth noting that at this point, Honda and Nissan are still determining whether or not a merger is viable. This decision should come by the end of January. If that happens, more comprehensive measures to bring the companies together would be taken in late 2026. Any potential action by Nissan to buy Renault’s stake would presumably not happen until the end of January, at the earliest. There are still doubts about Nissan’s ability to afford it.

If everything falls into place, a new holding company will be created not unlike Stellantis. Honda and Nissan will still exist separately with individual lineups, but platforms and technology will be shared. Mitsubishi, the other automaker in the decades-long Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance, has expressed interest in joining the group but has yet to make a formal decision.