Japanese auto giants Honda and Nissan confirmed they've scrapped merger talks announced in December​, ending a potential combination that would have created the world's third-largest automaker.

TOKYO—Honda and Nissan on Thursday officially scrapped their planned merger less than two months after announcing it, putting pressure on troubled Nissan to look for other partnerships.The two Japanese automakers had said in December that they planned to combine operations by 2026,

Nissan and Honda ended merger talks to forge a $60 billion car company on Thursday, pitching Nissan deeper into uncertainty and highlighting the pressure on legacy automakers from Chinese rivals upending the industry.