Nissan has been mired in financial issues for some time now, which have resulted in the appointment of a new CEO, massive job cuts, various other cost-cutting measures, and a failed merger with rival Honda that fell apart mere months ago. The automaker is also working to delay supplier payments as a way to keep its cash flow at a manageable level, but it faces a tough road ahead, regardless. Now, a new deal with Honda may help it out a bit in that regard.
According to a new report from Nikkei Asia, Nissan is currently in talks with Honda regarding the possibility that the former may build vehicles for the latter in the U.S. at one of its underused plants in Canton, Mississippi. For Honda, this would help the Japanese automaker further minimize the impact of tariffs on its business, However, what’s particularly interesting about this report is that it indicates Nissan may build pickup trucks for Honda, too.
Currently, the Nissan Canton plant builds the mid-size Frontier – a Ford Ranger rival. Current talks between that company and Honda are reportedly centered around the notion that Nissan could build trucks that would then be sold with a Honda nameplate in the U.S. Currently, the only pickup that Honda sells in the U.S. is the Ridgeline, a unibody vehicle based on the Pilot SUV, while the Frontier is a more traditional body-on-frame pickup.
Such a move could help both companies financially, and perhaps more importantly, give Honda a true mid-size pickup competitor for the Ranger, as well as the Jeep Gladiator, GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma. It isn’t alone in that regard, however, as Stellantis is reportedly working on a mid-size hauler of its own, while Hyundai is exploring the possibility of selling its own with GM’s help, too.
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