Nissan has begun searching for a strategic partner in the tech industry after its chief executive Makoto Uchida told his Honda counterpart that he was ending merger talks to create the world’s fourth-largest carmaker.
The search for new partners would be broad and outside the automotive industry, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Some board members are also open to considering a partnership with Taiwanese iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn. The Apple supplier approached alliance partner Renault about acquiring part of its stake in Nissan late last year, triggering the frantic but fleeting round of merger negotiations with Honda.