- 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 collection 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 yr in production-intent type by November. Just a few days in the past, the Chinese language Ministry of Business and Info Know-how (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, it will likely be a single motor-only sedan producing both 214 horsepower or 268 horsepower. I imply, it’s fantastic sufficient, it doesn’t appear to be an enormous step in any path, and it possible can be a fantastic sedan to serve China’s model of Uber referred to as Didi.
There’s nothing essentially flawed with the N7, however it’s clearly not a really thrilling sedan. Furthermore, I can’t assist however assume that this automotive gained’t be lengthy for this world due to the Nissan-Honda merger. See, the N7 is developed partly by Dongfeng Motor, one in all Nissan’s authentic companions from China’s 50/50 three way partnership scheme to get automakers to put money into China and assist its automotive business mature.
Dongfeng not solely builds Nissan fashions beneath contract, however it is usually considerably concerned within the improvement of the vehicles themselves, particularly within the EV period.
Usually, this wouldn’t be a difficulty. However one in all 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 lately, it’s began producing the China-only Honda Ye collection of vehicles.
It looks as if there are a whole lot of fashions and improvement chains to untangle right here. Not solely are each manufacturers intertwined with Dongfeng, however 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 probably streamline improvement prices between each lineups, however it appears like they’ve a complete different model in China the place they’ve spent numerous cash creating, manufacturing and advertising competing lineups of vehicles that possible don’t have anything to do with one another. The place does Dongfeng fall beneath all these things?
Whereas at a Honda roundtable at this yr’s CES, I requested what would come of the relationships each Honda and Nissan have with Dongfeng.
“Dongfeng Nissan and Dongfeng Honda are two completely different firms. In fact, we all know the state of affairs…however truly, the discussions are between [only] Honda and Nissan. In the end, we must speak about it, however so there’s no conclusion over that,” stated Katsushi Inoue, Honda’s World Head of Electrification Enterprise Improvement.
He stated that quickly, Honda may make a shared announcement about the way forward for the tie-ups, however as of that second that they had nothing so as to add.
From so many views, this mesh-up between Nissan and Honda feels so messy. As said earlier, Honda stated it desires to simplify improvement and probably share EV prices with Nissan, however how will that work, precisely? Honda already has three joint ventures or shared firms (Dongfeng, Sony and Basic Motors) that each one have EVs which can be unrelated to one another.
Dongfeng itself has a finances line of vehicles referred to 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 gained’t?
EV consumers 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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