Nissan considering car development with Honda in US

TOKYO: Nissan Motor is considering a joint project for vehicle and powertrain development with Honda Motor in the US, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa told the Nikkei business daily on Thursday.

Nissan and Honda said last December they were in talks to merge but in February the two Japanese automakers ended the discussions, which were strained by disagreements including over the balance of power. There are currently no talks over a merger or capital alliance, the Nikkei cited Espinosa as saying.

After taking over as chief executive in April, Espinosa has unveiled a major overhaul that will slash about 15 percent of Nissan’s workforce and cut its number of manufacturing plants to 10 from 17 as the automaker makes a push to lower costs.