A Honda-Nissan Tie-Up Might Still Be in the Cards, Next Nissan CEO Says

Don’t give up on the possibility of a Honda-Nissan linkup just yet.

Nissan’s incoming CEO, Ivan Espinosa, at an event Wednesday said the next big step in the Japanese automaker’s future could come with the help of a partner—which could mean Honda (HMC), according to a Bloomberg story.

A further move into autonomous mobility is “going to require a lot of work and a lot of investment that probably will need some partner,” said Espinosa, according to the report. “I’m open to Honda or other partners, as long as these partners are helping us drive the vision of the business.”

Espinosa is set to step into the role on April 1, replacing Makoto Uchida. The change was announced after a plan to merge with Honda fell apart. Nissan late last year said it would let thousands of workers go amid sagging sales in key markets.

But the company might explore other options, too, according to Bloomberg.

“There’s another avenue, which is who should you partner with in order to develop this intelligent part of the future,” Espinosa said, “There are some traits and some competencies that traditional [auto manufacturers] don’t have.”