Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi have confirmed they are in talks for a possible three-way merger as they face declining sales and competition from Chinese brands.
The merger would create the world's third-largest carmaker in terms of annual sales, positioning them behind Toyota and Volkswagen.
Japanese carmakers, except for Toyota, are struggling to invest in the transition to electric vehicles, while Chinese manufacturers aggressively pursue the EV market.
Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, currently in Lebanon, expressed doubts about the merger's success due to similarities between Honda and Nissan.