A high-level Japanese group that includes a former prime minister has drawn up plans for Elon Musk’s Tesla to invest in the struggling carmaker Nissan, following the collapse of its merger talks with rival Honda, according to ”ft.com” .
The new proposal, led by former Tesla board member Hiro Mizuno, is being supported by ex-premier Yoshihide Suga and his former aide Hiroto Izumi, according to three people with direct knowledge of the move.
The group is hopeful Tesla will become a strategic investor since they believe the world’s largest pure electric-vehicle maker is keen to acquire Nissan’s plants in the US, according to the people. The factories would help it boost domestic manufacturing in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
The plan to approach Tesla comes after Nissan walked away from Honda’s $58bn merger proposal, spurring fears that Japan’s third-largest carmaker could fall into potentially hostile foreign hands, with Taiwanese iPhone assembler Foxconn, activists and private equity groups circling.
Talks with Honda were originally triggered after Foxconn approached Nissan’s partner Renault last year about buying some of the French company’s stake in the Japanese carmaker. Following the breakdown in negotiations this month, Foxconn confirmed its interest in acquiring Nissan shares as a means to expand its EV manufacturing business.
Nissan shares rose as much as 11.5 per cent in Tokyo on Friday after the Financial Times reported the plans before closing up 9.5 per cent.
Share price: ¥ (japanese yen)
Nissan and Izumi declined to comment. Mizuno and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Musk appeared to play down his interest in acquiring Nissan’s plants.
Nissan may not easily accept a sale of the US plants to a rival, given the local market is a key growth area for profits. Since Foxconn’s interest in Nissan came to light in recent months, officials at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have been deeply concerned about the political implications and robustness of its national security screening process to handle Foxconn, which is seen as too close to China.
Blocking the deal would have been hard to justify since Japan has welcomed major semiconductor investment from Taiwan and previously allowed Renault to take a stake in Nissan and Foxconn to buy Sharp, according to Japanese government officials.
Read the full art. on ”ft.com” (en).
Related art.:
– 21.02.2025: Acțiunile Nissan au crescut puternic după anunțul despre atragerea de investiţii de la Tesla – ”economica.net” (ro)
– 21.02.2025: Musk Responds To Report Nissan May Seek Tesla’s Investment – ”forbes.com” (en)
