While news media reports point to a potential end of merger talks between Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp., discussions between the two automakers continue, Marcos Frommer, a spokesperson for American Honda Motor Co. told Automotive Dive in an email on Wednesday.
“We are still in discussions, and we’ll provide more details at the appropriate time,” Frommer said. Nissan in an emailed statement also confirmed that discussions were ongoing, but indicated the automakers hope to make a final decision by mid-February.
Honda’s and Nissan’s comments are in response to a Nikkei Asia news report that Nissan was preparing to suspend the merger discussions. The automakers have been exploring a merger since December that would form the world’s third largest vehicle manufacturer.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also may be a part of the combination, though a news report indicated that the company was considering withdrawing from the merger discussions. Mitsubishi in a statement said it did not release any information about any change in its involvement in the merger, adding that it continued to explore its options and had not made a decision.
The automakers in December projected their combined operations would have annual sales revenues exceeding 30 trillion yen ($192 billion as of Dec. 23) with operating profits of more than 3 trillion yen.
