- Honda and Nissan may share more than parts going forward.
- A jointly developed operating system would run both brands’ future cars.
- The new software is reportedly based on Nissan’s own technology.
The collaboration between Honda and Nissan reportedly runs deeper than the two car companies simply sharing ECUs. If a new report out of Japan holds up, they may also team up to build a new operating system for future software-defined vehicles, or SDVs, a project that would tie their engineering roadmaps together far more tightly than a parts deal alone.
Both Honda and Nissan are eagerly looking for ways to save money, to better withstand the threat posed by emerging rivals out of China. It’s also understood that the two are eager to ramp up standardization efforts to speed up the development of next-generation vehicles.
Read: Honda, Nissan, And Mitsubishi Want To Share Parts, Starting With The Car’s Brain
Unnamed sources speaking with The Japan Times say the shared operating system will be simple to update with autonomous driving functionality down the line. The same report claims the new OS will be built on Nissan’s technology rather than Honda’s, which is the more surprising part given how the balance of the wider partnership has looked so far.
Compared to most other automakers, particularly from Asia, the operating systems used by both Honda and Nissan are quite outdated and in desperate need of an update. There’s no word on when the new one could be ready for primetime, but the two automakers will no doubt be keen to introduce it as soon as possible.
Parts Sharing
Word of a closer Honda-Nissan collaboration, which could grow to include Mitsubishi, emerged late last month. The shared ECUs bound for all three brands are reportedly going to work with both hybrid and all-electric vehicles. Final details on development and the procurement of common parts remain unconfirmed, but in late June, Honda president Toshihiro Mobie said talks with Nissan were “quite far along,” and that an announcement was close.
Early reports indicate those shared ECUs could hit the market as soon as 2029 or 2030. The shared operating system would most likely only follow once the ECUs are out.
