On August 1st, the alliance of three major Japanese automakers—Honda Motor, Nissan Motor, and Mitsubishi Motors (MMC)—was officially announced. However, according to Carlos Ghosn, the former long-time head of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, this alliance is essentially a covert takeover by Honda of the other two companies. In an interview with Automotive News, Ghosn stated that Honda would undoubtedly play a leading role in the partnership. As for Nissan, Ghosn believes the company entered the deal with Honda from a position of weakness. He noted that the alliance with the French automaker Renault had reached a dead end, and Nissan’s new products were failing to generate enthusiasm among consumers.
The official press release stated that the Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi alliance aims to combine the efforts of the three companies in the development and production of electric vehicles, batteries, software, and the unification of the component base.
Carlos Ghosn is the creator of the Renault-Nissan alliance. Since 1997, he served as Executive Vice President of Renault, quickly turning the company profitable. In 1999, under his leadership, Renault acquired a 36.8% stake in Nissan. Ghosn developed and implemented a plan to rescue the Japanese automaker. For many years, Ghosn led the alliance and its member companies. From 2016 to 2018, he also headed Mitsubishi Motors, which joined the alliance in October 2016. In late 2018, Japanese authorities arrested Ghosn on charges of violating Japanese financial laws. In late 2019, Ghosn managed to escape from house arrest in Japan, aided by former special forces soldiers who hid him in a musical instrument case and then flew him to Lebanon on a private jet.
Currently, the 70-year-old Carlos Ghosn resides permanently in Lebanon, where he lectures at a university and provides business consulting. Japan continues to seek his extradition.
