[craig nigrelli]
AND NOW TO DEVELOPING NEWS OUT OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY —
JAPANESE AUTOMAKERS HONDA AND NISSAN HAVE AGREED TO BEGIN TALKS OF A MERGER – WHICH WOULD CREATE THE WORLD’S THIRD-LARGEST AUTOMAKER IN TERMS OF SALES.
AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY — THE TWO COMPANIES – ALONG WITH SMALLER AUTOMAKER MITSUBISHI MOTORS — ANNOUNCED THEY SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO FORMALLY BEGIN MERGER TALKS.
OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, HONDA AND NISSAN WILL DISCUSS THE BEST WAYS TO COMBINE THEIR OPERATIONS, WITH THE GOAL OF A COMPLETED DEAL, FOR AUGUST.
CURRENTLY HONDA SELLS NEARLY 4 MILLION VEHICLES A YEAR —
NISSAN — MORE THAN 3 MILLION.
MEANWHILE — TOYOTA – THE NUMBER ONE CAR BRAND IN THE WORLD – SELLS AROUND 11 MILLION – AND VOLKSWAGEN – THE NUMBER 2 AUTOMAKER – SELLS APPROXIMATELY 9 MILLION VEHICLES A YEAR.