Nissan and Mitsubishi to share platforms to cut costs

perennial Japanese rivals Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. are apparently ready to expand their bond and develop upcoming platforms together as a way of cutting some of the production costs at their local plants.
According to Nikkie Business, the two companies are set to discuss future plans today in a news conference. These plans are said to include strengthening the ties between the companies as a way to combat the rising strength of the Yen, and as a way to keep local factories open.
Designing and developing cars together may seem like a bad idea but both companies are trying fulfill government pressure regarding keeping local jobs secure. The Japanese plants do not want to have to lay off employees, so instead, to reduce costs, the companies could spread their production costs even further.
According to reports, Nissan will provide more sedan platforms for Mitsubishi while Mitsubishi will provide more mini car platforms to Nissan. Other specific details are unknown at this stage as both companies are keeping their ideas tightly wrapped. A Mitsubishi Motors spokesman has said,We’ll be sure to update this topic once the two companies have had the meeting though, and hopefully we can reveal what models and what more aspects of the companies will be shared in the future.