Core Viewpoint - Nissan is facing a significant operational crisis and is raising over 1 trillion yen through debt and asset sales to maintain normal operations, implementing an unprecedented restructuring plan that includes global layoffs and factory closures [2] Group 1: Nissan's Operational Challenges - Nissan is planning to lay off 20,000 employees and close 7 factories globally, including some in Japan, while not closing underutilized plants in the U.S. [2] - The company had initially planned to cut production in North America but reversed its decision following the implementation of U.S. tariffs under President Trump [2][3] - Nissan's U.S. production capacity utilization is currently at 57.7%, significantly below the industry breakeven point of 80% [3] Group 2: Financial Performance and Forecast - Nissan reported a net loss of 670.9 billion yen for the fiscal year 2024, the worst annual loss since 1999, and anticipates a loss of approximately 450 billion yen due to U.S. tariffs in fiscal year 2025 [6] - The company is prioritizing the sale of U.S.-made vehicles and local production to mitigate tariff impacts [6] Group 3: Collaboration with Mitsubishi - Mitsubishi is seeking to collaborate with Nissan to utilize idle production capacity in the U.S. for its new electric vehicle model based on Nissan's next-generation Leaf [7][8] - Mitsubishi has no production base in the U.S. and relies entirely on imports, while Nissan holds a 24% stake in Mitsubishi [8] - The collaboration aims to enhance production efficiency and address tariff challenges, benefiting both companies [9][10] Group 4: Industry Trends and Responses - Japanese automakers are increasingly collaborating to accelerate technological innovation and reduce costs, particularly in response to trade barriers and market competition [10] - Historical examples include Toyota and Mazda's joint venture in the U.S. to establish a manufacturing plant, driven by similar tariff concerns [9][10]

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) has refuted reports that state that the automaker intends to move vehicle production from Canada and Mexico to the United States in response to potential heavy tariffs. Per Honda Mexico, no production changes have been made or are currently being considered for its Mexican operations.The denials followed a report from the Nikkei newspaper, which claimed Honda was exploring moving some production from its neighboring countries to the United States and aims to manufacture 90% of ve ...

Honda is reportedly preparing to significantly expand its US manufacturing footprint in response to sweeping new auto tariffs introduced by the Trump administration.The Japanese automaker is considering shifting production of several key models from Mexico and Canada to the US with the goal of ensuring that 90% of the cars it sells in the states are built domestically, according to a report in the Nikkei newspaper.Honda plans to boost its production in the US by up to 30% over the next two-to-three years, t ...