Media report: Will Nissan use a second brand in the Gen4 era for Formula E customer team Andretti?

The fact that the previous Porsche customer team Andretti had to look for a new drive supplier for the Gen4 era was considered an open secret in the Formula E paddock. The contract with the German manufacturer, which will then field a second works team, expires at the end of the season. As a result, only one customer team can be supplied with powertrains from 2026/27, with Cupra Kiro probably being chosen. Andretti, on the other hand, is said to have found a new manufacturer in Nissan.

The fact that Andretti is unhappy with its current power unit supplier Porsche and is looking for an alternative for the time after the Gen3 era is an open secret in the Formula E paddock. After the 2023 season, when Andretti driver Jake Dennis became world champion, the relationship between the two partners has cooled considerably.

Porsche works driver Nico Müller drove for Andretti in the 2024/25 season and was asked by e-Formula.news at the season finale in London about the team's poor qualifying performance compared to the works team and the second customer team Cupra Kiro. When asked whether no data is shared with the works team, he replied tellingly: "Wrong contact person."

Nissan deal with Andretti probably finalised

The fact that Nissan has also put out feelers for Andretti following the withdrawal of its only customer team, McLaren, comes as no surprise to anyone. The US team and the Japanese manufacturer are now said to have reached an agreement. This is reported by The Race.

According to the regulations, however, such a deal should have been finalised some time ago: For example, a manufacturer is obliged to supply a team if it submits a corresponding request before 1 December of the previous year. Later requests (up to the end of March) are also possible, but in this case the manufacturer can demand an additional fee from the customer team. It is highly unlikely that Andretti has not already taken this step before this deadline.

Nissan customer powertrain under a different brand name?

It is possible, however, that the name Nissan will not be emblazoned on customer vehicles in the future. After the Stellantis Group has already been running such a concept throughout the Gen3 era - initially with the DS Automobiles and Maserati brands, and finally with DS Automobiles and Citroen since the start of the season - Nissan also appears to have similar plans, as once again reported by the colleagues at The Race.

The Infiniti brand is highly valued. Nissan founded this brand in 1989 to offer premium vehicles in North America. Infiniti is set to be fully electrified by 2030 and is well known to motorsport fans: the brand was the title sponsor of Red Bull Racing from 2011 to 2015, when they competed in Formula 1 with Renault engines. The French brand is also linked to Nissan in the so-called Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Since Formula E is aiming to hold at least two E-Prix in the United States of America from next season, the introduction of the brand as a power supplier to a US Formula E team does not seem entirely unrealistic.

However, several other brands from the Nissan cosmos are also being discussed: Renault, Alpine and Mitsubishi are the best known of these. Renault was a technical partner of Formula E in the Gen1 era and, from season 2 onwards, a drive supplier for Nissan's predecessor team, e.dams. In the first four seasons, this team celebrated 15 race wins, 26 podium finishes, one drivers' title and three team titles.

Alpine is currently active in Formula 1, but will be competing there from this year with customer drives from Mercedes instead of its own engines. Mitsubishi, on the other hand, has only been active internationally in rallying and the Dakar Rally in recent decades. Something that also characterised the Citroen brand before Stellantis placed it in Formula E for the 2025/26 season.

Mitsubishi already active in Formula E in season 12

Interesting detail in passing: Mitsubishi Electric, an independent company from the Mitsubishi Group, has been an official partner of the Citroen Racing Team ever since. "Citroen Racing and Mitsubishi Electric: the same spirit, the same aspirations, the same desire to push the boundaries", with these words the two brands announced their co-operation a few months ago. It is quite conceivable that Citroen and Mitsubishi will be competing against each other from next season onwards.

 

 

 

 

 

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But regardless of which brand will be joining Andretti, it will be some time before this becomes official: For contractual reasons, the announcement of the new partnership should not be made before the final race of the 2025/26 season, which will take place in London on 16 August.