A tie-up between Honda and Nissan will not fix their problems

Honda put nostalgia to the fore on December 18th when it introduced that the Prelude, a nameplate final produced some 25 years in the past, now being relaunched as a hybrid-electric, would include the choice of a system that simulates gear adjustments and combustion-engine noises. The message, nevertheless, was rapidly drowned out by information with way more bearing on the Japanese carmaker’s future. It’s contemplating merging with Nissan, a floundering home rival, to create the world’s third-largest carmaker by gross sales, behind solely Toyota and Volkswagen. But becoming a member of collectively is not going to repair the issues of a duo caught up to now.