Nissan to Sell Premacy-Based Minivan in Japan

The marriage between two of Japan's iconic car makers, Mazda and Nissan, begins to take stranger and stranger forms. The two, who are already working together on an OEM basis for a decent amount of time now, have announced the expansion of their previous agreement.

Currently, Nissan is taking advantage of the contract it has with Mazda to sell several of the models manufactured by the latter under its own brand, and the other way around. More precisely, the Nissan Vanette Van/Truck might be known to some of you, with some modifications, as the Mazda Bongo, while the Mazda Familia Van is originally the Nissan AD/AD Expert.

The confusion some of you might experience in sorting all this out might get even deeper from May 2011, the date set by the two manufacturers to mix their businesses some more. Mazda will begin supplying at that date the Premacy minivan (known in other parts of the world as the Mazda5), which will be sold by Nissan, with a few modifications here and there, under a yet unannounced name. The model will only be available in Japan.

The economic benefits of this new agreement, says Nissan, are enormous, as it will allow both car makers to “enjoy increased profits resulting from the growth in production.”

“Nissan's OEM business involves a large number of automakers across the globe, with all schemes ensuring win-win relationships that benefit both OEM suppliers and recipients” Nissan said in a statement.

“Through this agreement, Nissan will enrich its minivan line-up in the Japanese market with the addition of a model based on Mazda's global minivan. The agreement will also contribute to Nissan's global investment efficiency.”