A Toyota-Nissan partnership would be a looming catastrophe.

      Anadolu

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      The collaboration between Honda and Nissan fell apart in February 2025 after Honda attempted to convert their partnership into a complete takeover. In March 2025, Nissan’s CEO resigned, igniting speculation that the deal might be reconsidered. Now, a new report suggests that the struggling automaker could team up with a different competitor instead. Toyota is reportedly willing to provide Nissan with essential support. However, is another partnership really what the world's largest car manufacturer needs at this moment? We're not entirely convinced.

      According to a report from the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, Automotive News indicated that Toyota has supposedly offered assistance to Nissan following the breakdown of discussions with Honda. As of now, neither company has confirmed or commented on the report, but we will keep you updated if there are any developments.

      Details about how Toyota might assist Nissan are still unclear, and there is no indication that a complete merger is in the works. Back in January 2025, during the period when Nissan and Honda were still considering a merger, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda suggested that Nissan did not seek his help due to concerns that a merger might breach antitrust regulations. However, this doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a different type of partnership, such as sharing platforms and engines.

      On the other hand, Toyota could potentially obtain a modest, non-controlling stake in Nissan without drawing significant scrutiny from regulators. The company has experience with smaller joint ventures: it already owns approximately 20% of Subaru, along with minor shares in Mazda, Suzuki, and Isuzu, as well as a small interest in Yamaha and full ownership of Daihatsu. These partnerships have resulted in some product collaborations, though with varying success.

      The collaboration with Subaru produced the GR86 and BRZ, which are incredibly enjoyable to drive, but they share a flat-four engine that became the subject of a class-action lawsuit in November 2024 due to claims of problems related to the oil system. Another result of the Toyota-Subaru partnership is the electric bZ4X–Solterra duo, which lacks standout qualities by conventional standards.

      Mazda incorporated the RAV4’s hybrid drivetrain into the CX-50, leading us to determine that this combination performs better theoretically than practically since it detracts from the model's appeal. Meanwhile, in Japan, Daihatsu faced a significant safety scandal in December 2023 that affected Mazda and Subaru as well. Clearly, Toyota hasn't experienced uniform success with its subsidiaries; would it risk overextending itself by also bringing Nissan on board?

      Conversely, a partnership with Honda may have made more strategic sense for Nissan. It wasn't solely about preventing Nissan from failing; the merger of Japan's second- and third-largest automakers could have positioned them to compete against the global frontrunner. Honda has fewer existing partnerships, which might have allowed for more time and resources to be dedicated to Nissan. Additionally, the Nissan-Honda agreement was, at least on paper, a true merger. Toyota is unlikely to save Nissan by acquiring a small stake and granting access to the underpinnings of the 4Runner for a new Xterra.

      Whether the offer remains viable is uncertain, but the concept of such a collaboration and Toyota's readiness to assist a competitor during challenging times is intriguing. One might assume the brand would prefer to observe the situation unfold passively.

      In a different report, The Mainichi stated that Nissan plans to begin encouraging its administrative staff to retire early in the summer of 2025. This marks the first early retirement program the brand has introduced in 18 years, according to the newspaper, and represents the latest in a series of measures aimed at reducing operating expenses. Overall, Nissan aims to cut approximately 20,000 jobs across its global operations.

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