Reducing Development Costs and Early Commercialization
Part of March Collaboration Announcement
Japan's second and third largest automakers, Nissan and Honda, have agreed to develop a standardized shared automotive operating system (OS), according to reports by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and NHK on the 4th.
The two companies plan to jointly develop software including the basic OS responsible for vehicle control. Previously, each company individually controlled devices, but they now plan to unify control and standardize the basic design that connects devices such as the accelerator and brake with driver assistance systems.
Vehicle software is a technology that forms the foundation of next-generation mobility such as autonomous driving and is a key factor determining a vehicle's competitiveness. Beyond basic driver assistance functions, vehicle performance can be enhanced post-sale through software upgrades. Tesla began selling vehicles equipped with its self-developed OS as early as 2012. This has intensified software competition among automakers and driven up development costs.
Nissan and Honda plan to reduce the enormous development cost burden through joint development and enhance global competitiveness by early adoption of high-performance technologies.
They will also collaborate on installing electric vehicle chargers to boost competitiveness in the electric vehicle sector. Japanese automakers lag behind in electric vehicle competitiveness compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. Last year, Tesla sold 1.8 million electric vehicles, and China's BYD sold 1.57 million, while Nissan sold only 140,000 and Toyota 104,000.
Nissan and Honda previously announced in March that they were considering comprehensive collaboration. According to Nikkei, the two companies are expected to cooperate in six areas including batteries.
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