Honda and Nissan have signed an agreement to jointly develop electronic control units and software for future vehicles. The companies plan to standardize several key electronic units, the onboard operating system, individual middleware components, and vehicle control programs.
This refers to so-called software-defined vehicles (SDVs) – cars where a significant portion of functions is determined by software. Such an architecture allows for updating vehicle capabilities after purchase and faster addition of new features without significant hardware changes.
Honda and Nissan expect that joint development will reduce costs and accelerate the creation of new models. Instead of independently designing basic electronic systems, the companies will be able to use common technical solutions and jointly share development costs.
However, the cars themselves will not become completely identical. The fundamental electronics and software platform will be common, while the interface, settings, and functions responsible for the specific brand's characteristics can be adapted by the manufacturers independently.
The first cars with the new electronic architecture are expected to appear from the 2029 fiscal year. In the Japanese system, this means the period from April 1, 2029, to March 31, 2030.
The agreement came after failed negotiations for a larger merger between Honda and Nissan. In early 2025, the companies abandoned the idea of a merger but maintained a strategic partnership and continued to seek areas where joint work could yield real savings.