Thanks for joining us this Friday, February 14th 2025. Notably in car news today: Honda and Nissan end merger discussions, Ford commits to building range-extender EVs and more.
Browse this issue:
- Honda and Nissan end merger discussions
- Ford says they are committed to building more range-extender EVs
- Elon Musk denies $400 million armoured Tesla deal
- Nissan takes immediate action to turn around performance woes
- Reviewed: 2025 Audi Q7 and Q8
Honda and Nissan end merger discussions
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Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co have decided to terminate the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed by both parties last year in an attempt to intertwine their businesses.
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Prior to the cancellation, many options were brought to the table between the two companies to determine how such a business integration would work, and what the future could look like under a merger.
Honda and Nissan will not merger moving forward.
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Decision wise, rather than a contract surrounding the forming of a structure where Honda would be the parent company to Nissan, the brands will instead collaborate on key projects where applicable as independents.
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After robust conversations going on since December last year, official press statements from both companies were released today confirming that negotiations had ceased and the MOU would be terminated.
Ford developing new range-extender platforms to counter EV downturn
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Ford CEO, Jim Farley, stated that Ford has begun developing extended-range electric vehicles (EREV), in an attempt to counter slowing sales of regular BEV models.
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Sales of Ford EVs fell globally in 2024, down nine percent in total compared to the previous financial year.
Ford to shift focus to range extender technology.
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Range extenders essentially use a petrol engine as a generator to recharge batteries that power electric motors, however petrol power isn’t be required to send drive to wheels. While often (incorrectly) referred to as a ‘hybrid’, this is technically an EV format.
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“Ford will be developing flexible body-on-frame and unibody platforms that will be designed for those multi-energy powertrains. The satisfaction is even higher because they are more affordable for people” said Farley.
Elon Musk denies $400 million armoured Tesla deal
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Controversy surrounding a potential $US400 million dollar deal for the US government to purchase armoured Tesla Cybertrucks has been squashed after Tesla boss and (US) Head of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, publicly stated that he had no idea about said deal.
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The US Department of State has now removed any mention of Tesla from the list of planned purchases that mentioned a proposed spending of $US400 million dollars on armoured vehicles.
Elon Musk denies Tesla would receive a $400 million dollar contract from the US Government.
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Musk did make a comment on the matter, with a post on social media platform X (which he also owns), stating: “I’m pretty sure Tesla isn’t getting $400m. No one mentioned it to me, at least.”
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Two versions of this document have been published on the department’s website, with one version modified yesterday to remove the word Tesla, replacing it with “armoured electric vehicles” instead, with no reference to a brand name or manufacturer.
Nissan takes immediate action to turn around performance woes
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Following today’s announcement the merger between Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi has been terminated, Nissan released its plan for 2026 in an attempt to turn around its current sales performance slump.
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The main plan is to achieve a cost savings of approximately 400 billion yen through a range of cost-cutting measures.
Nissan to restructure in an attempt to save 400 billion yen.
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A restructure is in play, which will see global production reduced by 20 percent in an attempt to optimise the workforce. This will see a reduction in vehicles made from 3.5 million units to three-million units.
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A refreshed vehicle line-up is also expected to boost sales, with many models in the global portfolio to receive a facelift.
Reviewed: 2025 Audi Q7 and Q8
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Chasing Cars contributor Nathan Ponchard has just returned from an Audi launch event, with his article on the Q7 and Q8 going live.
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Nathan split his time between the two models, and came away from the event describing the Q7 and Q8 pair as a “Silver Fox luxury SUVs”.
Audi Q8 is a classy operator, but you pay for the privilege.
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He praised the space and seat comfort, quality of the air suspension, interior fit and function as well as the classic styling.
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However, with every vehicle, there are negatives, the price being the main gripe, starting from $110,000 before on-road costs.
READ: Link to written article
The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Monday 17th of February at 4.30pm Sydney time.
