Japanese auto majors Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, which have officially announced integration between the two companies by establishing a joint holding company, which aims to develop Japan’s industrial base as a ‘leading global mobility company’.

On 15 March, the partners first came together by announcing a strategic partnership for vehicle intelligence and electrification, which was followed by an announcement on 1 August to deepen the strategic partnership towards exploring fundamental technologies in the are of platforms for next-generation software defined vehicles (SDVs).

Given the highly competitive global automotive industry landscape and the pace of new technological innovations, the partners have now further joined forces to become more competitive.

In a joint announcement, the companies have said that through the business integration, they aim to bring together ‘management resources such as knowledge, human resources, and technologies; create deeper synergies; enhance the ability to respond to market changes; and expect to improve mid- to long-term corporate value.

In addition, Nissan and Honda will create a ‘leading global mobility company’ by bringing together Nissan and Honda's four-wheel-vehicle and Honda's motorcycle and power products businesses,

The outlined potential synergies include – standardising vehicle platforms across ICE, HEV, PHEV and EV Models; joint research in SDV and collaboration in all R&D functions; optimise manufacturing systems and facilities; integration of purchasing functions to provide competitive advantage across the supply chain; operational efficiency improvements; integrating sales finance function and establishment of a talent foundation for intelligence and electrification.

As per the understanding, Nissan and Honda will establish a joint holding company which is set to be listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange by August 2026. Post the listing, both the companies will become a wholly-owned subsidiaries of the joint holding company and will delist from Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The partners expects with the synergies in place they can attain sales revenue exceeding YEN 30 trillion and operating profit of more than YEN 3 trillion.

The new organisation will see Honda nominate a majority of internal and external directors. The President and representative director or president and representative executive officer of the joint holding company will be selected from among the directors nominated by Honda.

On the other hand, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co, and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of Mitsubishi Motors’ participation, involvement and synergy sharing in relation to the business integration through the establishment of a joint holding company outlined in an MoU signed between Nissan and Honda.

Makoto Uchida, Director, President, CEO and Representative Executive Officer, Nissan, said, “"Today marks a pivotal moment as we begin discussions on business integration that has the potential to shape our future. If realised, I believe that by uniting the strengths of both companies, we can deliver unparalleled value to customers worldwide who appreciate our respective brands. Together, we can create a unique way for them to enjoy cars that
neither company could achieve alone.”

"Honda and Nissan have begun considering a business integration, and will study the creation of significant synergies between the two companies in a wide range of fields. It is significant that Nissan's partner, Mitsubishi Motors, is also involved in these discussions. We anticipate that if this integration comes to fruition, we will be able to deliver even greater value to a wider customer base," added Uchida.

Toshihiro Mibe, Director and Representative Executive Officer, Honda, said: "Creation of new mobility value by bringing together the resources including knowledge, talents, and technologies that Honda and Nissan have been developing over the long years is essential to overcome challenging environmental shifts that the auto industry is facing. Honda and Nissan are two companies with distinctive strengths. We are still at the stage of starting our review, and we have not decided on a business integration yet, but in order to find a direction for the possibility of
business integration by the end of January 2025, we strive to be the one and only leading company that creates new mobility value through chemical reaction that can only be driven through synthesis of the two teams."

At this time of change in the automobile industry, which is said to occur once every 100 years, we hope that Mitsubishi Motors' participation in the business integration discussions of Nissan and Honda will lead to further social change and that we will be able to become a leading company in creating new value in mobility through business integration. Nissan and Honda will start the discussion from today onwards with an aim to clarify the possibility of business integration by around the end of January in line with the consideration of Mitsubishi Motors," added Mibe.

Takao Kato, Director, Representative Executive Officer, and President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors, said: “In an era of change in the automotive industry, the study between Nissan and Honda about a business integration will accelerate synergy maximisation effects, bringing high value also to the collaborative businesses with Mitsubishi Motors. In order to realise synergies and to make the best use of each company's strengths, we will also study the best form of cooperation.”

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.