"This is obviously a huge consolidation of the sector that will surely require a considerable effort in securing competition (merger control) across a variety of jurisdictions and especially the European Union. This will take time and will create some uncertainty (although the parties will surely have planned this aspect meticulously). More particularly, this is representative of a general trend towards consolidation and/or cooperation in the sector as it undergoes the transformation that the changeover to electric vehicles is bringing. This is presenting unique challenges that seem set to make this and other projects which bring previously independent players together for different purposes (e.g. R&D) somewhat inevitable."