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A high -level Japanese group which includes a former Prime Minister has developed plans for Tesla by Elon Musk to invest in the car manufacturer in difficulty, following the collapse of its merger talks with Rival Honda.
The new proposal, led by the former member of the board of directors of Tesla, Hiro Mizuno, is supported by former president Yoshihide Suga and his former assistant Hiroto Izumi, according to three people with direct knowledge of this decision. Several members of the board of directors at Nissan are aware of the initiative.
The group is full of hope Tesla will become a strategic investor because they believe that the largest manufacturer of pure electric vehicles in the world is to acquire Nissan plants in the United States, according to people. The factories would help him stimulate national manufacturing in response to the price threats of Donald Trump.
The plan to approach Tesla comes after Nissan go away Based on the Monda $ 58 billion fusion proposal, stimulating fears that the third automotive manufacturer in Japan can fall into potentially hostile foreign hands, with the Taihawanese iPhone assembller Foxconn, militants and capital groups- surrounded investment.
The talks with Honda were initially triggered after Foxconn approached Nissan’s partner, Renault, last year for the purchase of part of the French company’s participation in the Japanese car manufacturer. After breaking the negotiations this month, Foxconn confirmed his interest In the acquisition of Nissan shares as a means of expanding its activity to manufacture electric vehicles.
Suga, who moved away from the Prime Minister in 2021, is still an active figure in Japanese policy, continuing as a member of the Lower House in Japan. He began his political career in Yokohama, where Nissan is based.
The proposal is considering a consortium of investors, with Tesla as the largest fundaler, but also includes the possibility of a minority investment of Foxconn to prevent a complete control of the apple supplier.
Nissan shares increased 11.5% in Tokyo on Friday after the Financial Times said the plans before closing 9.5%.
Nissan and Izumi refused to comment. Mizuno and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Musk seemed to play his interest in acquiring Nissan’s plants. “The Tesla factory is the product. The cybercab production line is like nothing else in the automotive industry, “he published on X, his social media platform, in response to a publication in the history of the FT.
A Soga spokesperson denied direct involvement in the compilation of the proposal.
In recent weeks, Nissan had started his own search for a strategic partner in the technology industry, some members of the board of directors suggesting that Tesla and Apple as ideal targets, according to two other people familiar with the problem. In November, he launched a Emergency recovery plan This included 9,000 job losses because it came across a quarterly loss.
Friday, Moody’s lowered Nissan’s credit note to unwanted status. Dean Enjo, principal analyst, cited “the risks associated with the implementation of its new restructuring plan, the renewal of its aging range of products and global trade policies”.
With a market capitalization of $ 1.1 TN, Tesla is among the most precious companies in the world. Historically, it has not invested in automotive companies and Musk pivots the company’s attention and expenses of its $ 36 billion in cash with autonomous driving and robotics.
But he also wants to stimulate production in the United States to compensate for the impact of President Donald Trump’s threatened prices. The group assembles all its vehicles sold in the United States locally, but a supply of some of its components in Mexico and other parts of the world.
Nissan has two assembly factories in Tennessee and Mississippi with an annual capacity combined of around 1 million vehicles, but produced only 525,000 units there in 2024. As part of its restructuring, the company A Announced its intention to reduce production capacity by 20% worldwide to contact sales folding. Last week, he said he was planning to reduce the quarter -work in the two American factories.
Nissan may not easily accept a sale of American factories to a rival, since the local market is a key growth area for profits.
Since Foxconn’s interest in Nissan has been revealed in recent months, officials of the Japanese Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry have been deeply concerned about the political implications and the robustness of its process of screening for screening National security to manage Foxconn, which is considered too close to China.
The blocking of the agreement would have been difficult to justify since Japan welcomed investments in major semiconductors of Taiwan and previously authorized Renault to participate in Nissan and Foxconn to buy Sharp, according to leaders of the Japanese government.
Following a restructuring of its alliance in 2023, Renault wants to sell a large part of the 36% that it still has in the Japanese group to a high premium.
In an interview Thursday, his CEO Luca de Meo said that any proposal was to reflect the value created by the 25 -year partnership.
“I just hope that the Nissan management team will find a way to make it better than it has worked so far,” he said. “I give them all the support they will need.”
Additional report by Stephen Morris in San Francisco, Joe Miller in Washington and Ian Johnston in Paris
