Honda, Nissan Said to Explore Potential Merger

alliance: 동맹, 연합
Essentially, if Honda forms a partnership with Nissan, and potentially Mitsubishi Motors beyond the alliance it’s had in the past, this would effectively split the Japanese auto industry into two.

pale in comparison: ~앞에 무색해지다, ~에 비해 못해 보이다
implication: 영향
Well, Honda and Nissan’s production pale in comparison to that of Toyota, this would spell a lot of interesting implications for their global competitiveness.

under pressure: 강요당하는, 압력을 받는
I want to talk about the market reaction because I think it’s quite clear that today you’ve got, obviously, Honda that’s under pressure.

divergence: 차이
Why are we seeing that divergence, and what’s in it for each of the carmakers?

bolster: 북돋다
remains to be seen: ~지켜봐야 한다
Whether Nissan will help bolster its production in North America remains to be seen.