--- title: "Mitsubishi May Go It Alone Without Honda or Nissan" date: "2025-01-24" modified: "2025-01-24" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/mitsubishi-may-go-it-alone-without-honda-or-nissan" categories: - "Mitsubishi News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Mitsubishi" --- # Mitsubishi May Go It Alone Without Honda or Nissan ![Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV three-quarter view on snowy field.]() *\Mitsubishi\* Didn't Mitsubishi execs play *The Legend of Zelda*? Don't they know that "it's dangerous to go alone?" Apparently not, as a new report from Japanese newspaper *Yomiuri Shimbun* relayed by [*Automotive News*]() claims that Mitsubishi will watch the [Honda/Nissan]() merger from the sidelines as its own, independent company. Per this report, Mitsubishi will continue to work with both Honda and Nissan—to what capacity is still unknown—however, as a standalone automaker. While Nissan still owns a decent chunk of Mitsubishi, it appears to be allowing the smaller manufacturer to decide its own fate. Last we heard from Mitsubishi CEO Takao Kato, the brand was mulling over details of the union and expecting to make an announcement about its future by the end of January. When asked for comment by *The Drive*, a Mitsubishi spokesperson responded with the following statement: "There was a media report from the Yomiuri Shimbun on Mitsubishi Motor's direction regarding the possible participation or involvement in the business integration between Nissan and Honda. We would like to state that such information was not released by Mitsubishi Motors. At this moment, we are studying various options, and no conclusion has been reached. We will inform you, at the appropriate time, if there is any information to be conveyed." ![]() *The chief executives of Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi, from left: Makoto Uchida, Toshihiro Mibe, and Takao Kato. *Credit respective automakers** Kato seemed hesitant about joining forces with the other two brands earlier this month at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The chief executive reportedly agreed that such a merger would be good for competition, but wasn't necessarily sure that Mitsubishi would benefit from being involved. "Therefore, at this stage, we are not in the position to say we are going to take proactive action," Kato said, per *Automotive News*. "I don’t think we can necessarily say that management integration is a given." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic. If Mitsubishi planned on joining in the throuple, you'd imagine Kato would have more positive things to say. Perhaps he's just playing his cards close to his vest. Nissan still owns 24% of Mitsubishi, after the latter bought back 10% of its own shares in November. Either Mitsubishi's automotive division or its parent company, Mitsubishi Corp., could buy the rest from Nissan if they don't want to be involved in the merger. Should that happen, Nissan could put to rest one of the two headaches it's been facing through this whole ordeal. The other is how it will extricate itself from Renault, but that remains to be seen. We likely won't know what Mitsubishi's plans are until its February 3 earnings meeting. If Mitsubishi does decide to fend for itself, hopefully it can find a nice cave-dwelling elderly fellow to give it a sword. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()