Honda and Nissan to Share One Operating System and Onboard Computer for 2029 Vehicles
Key Takeaways
- •Honda and Nissan are expected to reach an agreement as soon as Monday to jointly develop one operating system and one onboard computer, with deployment in new cars targeted for around 2029.
- •The partnership follows a failed merger attempt but builds on a 2024 strategic cooperation framework that also includes Mitsubishi Motors.
- •The shared platform is intended to divide the substantial engineering costs of software-defined vehicles, an approach also taken by Toyota and Volkswagen.
- •Nissan, which reported a loss for April-June after a full year in the red and is cutting jobs, benefits particularly from cost sharing amid pressure from US tariffs.
- •Nissan has begun Tokyo road trials of Wayve's hands-off Level 2 driver-assist system in Ariya EVs, with a consumer launch targeted for 2027.
Honda and Nissan are expected to reach an agreement as soon as Monday to jointly develop a single operating system and one onboard computer for their vehicles, with the shared technology intended for models arriving around 2029, according to Nikkei Asia.
Splitting the engineering bill after a failed merger
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe and Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa previously walked away from an attempt to merge the two automakers, though the companies, together with Mitsubishi Motors, had already agreed in 2024 to cooperate on software and other components under a strategic partnership framework. A common operating system and shared onboard computer now allow them to divide the engineering costs of the software-defined vehicle, in which features live in code that updates over the air rather than being baked into fixed hardware. Developing such platforms individually has become a major cost burden across the industry, one reason automakers including Toyota and Volkswagen have also pursued software partnerships and shared architectures rather than going it alone.
The target for installing the joint system in new cars is 2029. Nissan, the financially weaker of the two, finds the sharing arrangement especially sensible. The maker of the Leaf EV and the Infiniti luxury line posted a loss for the April-to-June period, following a full year in the red. The company has cut jobs and appointed Espinosa as its new chief to lead a turnaround, according to Cryptopolitan.
President Donald Trump's tariffs are also squeezing Japan's carmakers, and Nissan is feeling the pinch.
Nissan road-tests Wayve's Level 2 tech in Ariya EVs in Tokyo
Nissan has begun public road trials in Tokyo with British startup Wayve. According to Cryptopolitan, Nissan Ariya electric models have been fitted with Wayve's "eyes on, hands off" Level 2 system ahead of a consumer launch Wayve is targeting for 2027. Under the system, the car handles speed and steering, while the driver must remain ready to take over.
Nissan is also developing its own driver-assist features. The automaker was among those to adopt Nvidia's DRIVE Hyperion self-driving platform, detailed at Nvidia's GTC 2026 event. Honda, meanwhile, belonged to a separate group of manufacturers using Nvidia's industrial design tools.
Beneath that network of outside suppliers would sit the shared Honda-Nissan computer, giving both companies a common base to plug into. How the deal is formalized, and whether Mitsubishi Motors ends up adopting the shared platform as well, are points to watch as details emerge.
