Honda/Nissan Merger - Dead
Thankfully for Honda, the talks of a merger with rival Nissan are over. This agreement did not seem to make a lot of sense for Honda. Honda has many different markets that they are involved in: autos, motorcycles, power equipment, powersports, regional jets, etc. Thus, Honda wanted Nissan to be a subsidiary of Honda. Nissan executives disagreed on that point alone.
If Nissan continues to lose sales in America, Honda and Toyota stand to gain market share and sales. Nissan is in desperate need of a partner soon and they are third in their home market. In America, Infiniti sales are struggling and it would not be unusual for Nissan to pull the plug on Infiniti like Toyota closed Scion.
https://nypost.com/2024/12/10/lifestyle/nissans-new-blow-luxury-brand-infiniti-to-close-us-dealerships/#!
With this deal dropped, what kind of mergers do make sense?
How to grow the motorcycle sport - memo 1 to manufacturers
Honda modular Do-It-Yourself youth motorcycle/go-cart/etc.
There are motorcycles that don’t yet exist that could be very pivotal in growing the sport.
Example: During the 1997 Tokyo Motor, Honda showed the “Honda Dream Kids Dokitto”. This was a modular do-it-yourself kit where you could build a go-cart or dirtbike or some other transportation device. Think erector set. The concept used an Internal combustion engine. What if this was re-imagined with an electric motor as the propulsion system and used a type of commonly used Li-Ion battery. The idea is straightforward. Must be sold with the safety gear to reduce liability.
Kawasaki 2-Strokes in development
Old ideas made new! Kawasaki is entertaining the idea of reviving 2-stroke motorcycles. All ideas should be available to grow the sport. With KTM recent financial woes, this opens the doors for other makers to get in the game and provide some competition. 2025 is going to be exciting!
https://www.dirtrider.com/dirt-bikes/kawasaki-developing-new-two-stroke-dirt-bike/