Honda Motor and Nissan Motor plan to collaborate in the development of a new software operating system (OS) for their next-generation vehicles, as the two Japanese automakers look to cut vehicle development and production costs amid intensifying global competition, according to local reports citing a source familiar with the matter.
As the automotive industry moves towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs), software and electronic hardware account for an increasing proportion of the cost of a vehicle, as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving, connected technologies, and AI assistants become core features in next-generation vehicles.
Nissan and Honda, which pulled back from a full merger in early 2025, have been discussing collaboration in a number of areas, including SDVs, and EV batteries and powertrain components.
These latest reports suggest that a new OS, which serves as the brain of a vehicle, will be developed based on Nissan’s existing OS. The two companies also plan to share key electronic hardware, including electronic control units (ECUs), with a formal agreement expected to be announced next month.
The decision to standardise software and electronic hardware was apparently made following recent progress in preliminary joint development.
“Nissan, Honda to standardise OS, electronic hardware – reports” was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.
