Dec 24 (NHK) - Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn says if Nissan and Honda Motor integrate their businesses, the outcome would not be successful.
Ghosn was speaking from Lebanon during an online news conference with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday.
Ghosn was at the helm of Nissan for about 20 years from 1999 to turn around the automaker until he was arrested and indicted for financial misconduct in Japan. He fled to Lebanon while on bail and has lived there since.
Ghosn said, "The first thing that you look at when you want to envision an alliance or a partnership is the complementarity between the two partners." He said he sees no complementarity between Nissan and Honda.
Ghosn also said that both are Japanese companies and are strong in the same fields and weak in the same fields. He added that from an industrial point of view, there is duplication everywhere between them.
He went on to say that if they merge or form an alliance, he personally does not think the merger is going to be successful.
Ghosn said, "The people who really follow thoroughly on the electric car are winners." He cited US maker Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers as winners.
He predicted that a potential alliance or partnership between the two companies will be fighting for survival but that they would have a tough time against other major automakers.
