By Abhirup Roy and Norihiko Shirouzu
(Reuters) - Nissan is in advanced talks to invest in electric vehicle maker Fisker in a deal that could provide the Japanese automaker with access to an electric pickup truck while giving the struggling startup a financial lifeline, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
The deal could close this month, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the talks are ongoing and have not been finalized.
Terms being discussed include Nissan investing more than $400 million in Fisker's truck platform and building Fisker's planned Alaska pickup starting in 2026 at one of its U.S. assembly plants, one of the sources said. Nissan would build its own electric pickup on the same platform, the source said. Nissan has U.S. assembly plants in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Fisker said on Thursday, when it announced it might not be able to continue as a going concern and would cut 15% of its workforce, that it was in talks with a large automaker for a potential investment and joint development partnership. It did not name the automaker.
A Fisker spokesman said the company does not comment on speculation, while Nissan officials were not immediately available to comment.
Fisker shares were off more than 43% on Friday, giving the company a market capitalization of about $222 million.
(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco and Norihiko Shirouzu in Austin, Texas, editing by Ben Klayman and Diane Craft)
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