Nissan and Mitsubishi Corporation share plans for future joint development in the realm of mobility.
It looks like the two Japanese industrial titans, Nissan Motor Co., and Mitsubishi Corporation, are finally working together in earnest. To recap, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors have been somewhat tied together since the two formed a joint venture in 2011. Through some ups and downs (including a plan to become part of a Honda-led conglomerate to escape Renault and Carlos Ghosn’s influence) the arrangement finally settled into the current Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance we know today. Now though, Nissan is also working with Mitsubishi Corporation itself, the former parent company of Mitsubishi Motors.
We learnt last week that Mitsubishi Corporation was dipping its toes in autonomous driving technology, signalling a return to the realm of automotive tech. Now, Nissan and Mitsubishi Corporation have confirmed that they’re taking joint steps to tackled the pressing issues in Japan regarding mobility and energy-related services. They’ve signed an MOU to this effect.
What Are The Challenges Nissan and Mitsubishi Corporation Aim To Tackle?
There are many challenges in Japan that are on the horizon. Population levels are dwindling and public transportation faces a labour shortage. The two companies are working on deploying autonomous driving tests in Yokohama and mobility services in Fukushima to enhance accessibility. Mitsubishi Corporation is working on energy resource utilization and carbon neutrality to keep to sustainability goals.
Nissan-Mitsubishi EVs On The Horizon?
Nissan and Mitsubishi Corporation have also decided that a strategic alliance will be necessary to develop electric vehicles together. While the specific of what sort of EVs will be built together have not been hashed out, it’ll probably be Japan-centric to begin with. The focus will be to use AI-driven solutions to solve the country’s looming community-centric problems.
Currently, Mitsubishi Motors is still hashing out the same i-MIEV based electric vehicles that they introduced well over a decade ago. Meanwhile, the Ariya shows that Nissan did not squander the early lead they had with the LEAF.
Elsewhere, Nissan and Honda are also studying the possibility of a strategic partnership in the realm of electric vehicles. Things are definitely changing in the Japanese car industry. Once giants in their field, Japanese car brands are forced to work together to compete with the dominance of Chinese electric vehicles.
