Nissan and Honda have signed an agreement to develop electronic control units (ECU), in-vehicle operating systems, middleware and vehicle control software to be used in next-generation software-defined vehicles based on common technical specifications. The collaboration aims to standardize the basic E/E architecture, accelerate development processes and reduce Ar-Ge costs.
The shared electronic architecture and software ecosystem are planned to be used in vehicles from both brands as of fiscal 2029. The companies will also assess different areas of collaboration in line with their goals of carbon neutrality and “zero fatalities” in traffic accidents involving vehicles.
Why it matters
This step could limit the repeated allocation of resources to similar systems by bringing the core development work that the two manufacturers have been carrying out separately for software-defined vehicles onto a common technical foundation. The use of the same electronic architecture and software ecosystem could enable more systematic management of compatibility between vehicle control and the operating system across both brands, directly affecting engineering processes. However, the fiscal 2029 target shows that the collaboration represents a long-term transformation aimed at vehicle programs well beyond the current models. As no concrete project scope has yet been disclosed regarding carbon neutrality and zero fatalities in traffic accidents, how the shared technical infrastructure will be linked to these goals remains unclear.