Nissan Ready To Tie Up With Honda In India: Nissan Global CEO Ivan Espinosa
Nissan, as part of its new strategy, is planning to introduce new products for the Indian market. We already know that Nissan has a partnership with Renault in India. However, as per recent reports, Nissan has hinted at its willingness to partner with other brands in India, including Honda, to rebuild its presence in the market.
Ivan Espinosa, CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., told Autocar, “We have a good partnership with Renault in India, but the beauty is we can explore other options too. So like you, I too am wondering what we could possibly do with Honda in India.”
It should be noted that Nissan and Honda officially terminated talks in February 2025 regarding a $60 billion merger. The deal collapsed internationally because Honda proposed making the struggling Nissan a subsidiary rather than an equal partner. However, in this case, the brands are specifically referring to exploring a partnership in India.
The comments made by Nissan’s CEO come at a time when the company is already in a partnership with Renault in India and is planning to expand its portfolio with new and interesting products. As part of its revised strategy, Nissan aims to produce and sell over 200,000 units, split evenly between domestic sales and exports.
It is important to note that Nissan and Honda have not started any official discussions regarding this partnership. The CEO’s remarks were simply meant to indicate the company’s openness to exploring new possibilities to strengthen its position in the Indian market.
Until recently, Nissan had only one product in its Indian lineup. As part of its new strategy, the company has decided to introduce more models in the market. One of the first products under this plan is the Nissan Gravite, a B-MPV.
The Gravite is essentially a rebadged version of the Renault Triber MPV. Apart from the Gravite, Nissan is also planning to launch two more products in India, both of which will be SUVs.
One of them is expected to be the Tekton SUV, which is essentially a heavily reworked version of the recently launched Renault Duster. However, unlike the Gravite, Nissan is likely to introduce a completely different exterior design for the Tekton, inspired by the Nissan Patrol.
The Tekton SUV is expected to be offered with the same set of engines as the Duster, including a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol, a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol, and a 1.8-litre strong hybrid petrol engine, which is likely to be introduced around six months after the standard versions. Nissan is also working on a sub-4 meter SUV for Indian market which they are calling Bridger concept.
Apart from the Tekton, Nissan is also working on a larger 7-seater SUV based on the same platform. This model will be slightly longer and may feature a longer wheelbase to accommodate the third row.
The upcoming 7-seater SUV is expected to be offered with the 1.3-litre turbo-petrol and the 1.8-litre strong hybrid petrol engine. The Tekton is likely to be launched later this year, while the 7-seater version is expected to arrive sometime next year.