Nissan’s proposed takeover of Mitsubishi Motors would produce a Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance that by 2017 could overtake auto giant Toyota to become the world No. 2 in global light-vehicle production.
By 2023, the French-Japanese alliance will lead Toyota by almost 1.2 million vehicles, 12 million to 10.8 million. Meanwhile despite all their internal; issues, Volkswagen would likely remain the world’s largest light-vehicle producer.
Renault-Nissan is in the midst of due diligence for the takeover, which derived from Mitsubishi’s admission that it has filed false fuel economy data for numerous nameplates sold in Japan. If Nissan finds proof of further cheating, it can call off the deal. Otherwise, it is expected to take a controlling stake in Mitsubishi in October this year. Let the games begin!