Nissan’s scuttled Honda merger has left investors in a tizzy to find a new financial partner for the beleaguered manufacturer, and some of the pitches we’re hearing from the far side of the Pacific are downright silly. While tech manufacturing giant Foxconn has made at least one legitimate overture (one that would reportedly result in a four-way tie-up involving Honda and Mitsubishi), there are several smaller coalitions of investors throwing around some pretty far-fetched ideas, including at least one that would rope in Tesla. Even the typically dry Reuters coverage paints a picture of utter chaos.
In one alleged scheme reported by Financial Times, former Tesla board member Hiromichi Mizuno and ex-Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga (along with a former aid) are calling on Tesla to purchase a stake out of “hope” that Elon Musk would see Nissan as an opportunity to acquire more manufacturing facilities in America. Suga’s office reportedly had no knowledge of any such pitch, while Mizuno shared on X that he would “personally doubt if Tesla has any interest at all in Nissan factories as Tesla’s factory design is so unique.”
Considering Tesla’s declining volume and market share in its home country, it’s unlikely the EV maker would have much interest in expanding its existing U.S. manufacturing footprint. And yet, none of that logic kept investors from lifting Nissan shares 9.6% higher in Tokyo at the end of trading Friday, after FT’s report.
Meanwhile, Foxconn has reportedly indicated its desire to invest in Nissan (whether passively or, shall we say, a bit more aggressively) regardless of what the ultimate deal looks like. The tech manufacturing giant has been floated as a potential partner for Nissan from the very beginning, and its close ties to Apple have even drawn the U.S. electronics giant’s name into the conversation despite no confirmed interest whatsoever from Cupertino—and, you know, Apple pretty clearly calling the whole car thing quits.
More recently, sources have indicated that Foxconn would like to steer Honda back to the table, creating a group between itself, Honda, Nissan, and existing Nissan partner Mitsubishi. Nissan previously told Reuters that no official conversations to that effect have taken place at the management level. Any deal that brings Honda into the fold would face the same challenges that doomed the first such proposal, though it’s been reported that Honda might be willing to pick up the phone again if Nissan’s CEO, Makoto Uchida, steps down.
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