- Nissan and Honda each have separate relationships with Dongfeng Motor, a Chinese language firm chargeable for producing some Honda and Nissan merchandise in China.
- The Nissan N7 is the manufacturing model of the primary of the 4 EV and PHEV ideas it unveiled in collaboration with Dongfeng Motor on the 2024 Beijing Auto Present.
- The Honda Ye sequence vehicles are additionally made by Dongfeng. (Dongfeng Honda)
That is the Nissan N7. We’ve seen it earlier than a number of instances now; first in idea type on the Beijing Present of 2024, then later that 12 months in production-intent type by November. Just a few days in the past, the Chinese language Ministry of Business and Data Expertise (MIIT) uncovered the ultimate manufacturing mannequin within the final step wanted for homologation on Chinese language roads.
The MIIT did expose some energy and dimensional particulars, will probably be a single motor-only sedan producing both 214 horsepower or 268 horsepower. I imply, it’s positive sufficient, it doesn’t look like an enormous step in any route, and it seemingly can be a positive sedan to serve China’s model of Uber known as Didi.
There’s nothing essentially unsuitable with the N7, nevertheless it’s clearly not a really thrilling sedan. Furthermore, I can’t assist however assume that this automobile received’t be lengthy for this world due to the Nissan-Honda merger. See, the N7 is developed partly by Dongfeng Motor, one in every of Nissan’s unique companions from China’s 50/50 three way partnership scheme to get automakers to put money into China and assist its automobile trade mature.
Dongfeng not solely builds Nissan fashions beneath contract, however it’s also considerably concerned within the improvement of the vehicles themselves, particularly within the EV period.
Usually, this wouldn’t be a difficulty. However one in every of Honda’s two three way partnership companions is additionally Dongfeng Motor. Like Nissan, Dongfeng is a part of Honda’s EV improvement and manufacturing. Most not too long ago, it’s began producing the China-only Honda Ye sequence of vehicles.
It looks like there are a variety of fashions and improvement chains to untangle right here. Not solely are each manufacturers intertwined with Dongfeng, nevertheless it’s not clear what merchandise would be the winner on the finish of the day. Honda has been adamant that it desires to share prices and doubtlessly streamline improvement prices between each lineups, nevertheless it appears to be like like they’ve an entire different model in China the place they’ve spent a lot of cash creating, manufacturing and advertising and marketing competing lineups of vehicles that seemingly don’t have anything to do with one another. The place does Dongfeng fall beneath all these items?
Whereas at a Honda roundtable at this 12 months’s CES, I requested what would come of the relationships each Honda and Nissan have with Dongfeng.
“Dongfeng Nissan and Dongfeng Honda are two totally different corporations. After all, we all know the scenario…however truly, the discussions are between [only] Honda and Nissan. Eventually, we should speak about it, however so there’s no conclusion over that,” stated Katsushi Inoue, Honda’s World Head of Electrification Enterprise Growth.
He stated that quickly, Honda might make a shared announcement about the way forward for the tie-ups, however as of that second they’d nothing so as to add.
From so many views, this mesh-up between Nissan and Honda feels so messy. As acknowledged earlier, Honda stated it desires to simplify improvement and doubtlessly share EV prices with Nissan, however how will that work, precisely? Honda already has three joint ventures or shared corporations (Dongfeng, Sony and Common Motors) that every one have EVs which might be unrelated to one another.
Dongfeng itself has a finances line of vehicles known as Venucia – lots of Venucia vehicles use components from the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi components bin. How on earth will Nissan fall in line? On the finish of the day, which merchandise will stay, and which received’t?
EV patrons throughout the globe will simply have to take a seat again and watch what fashions make it, and which fall by the wayside.
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