Nissan and Honda signed a deal to standardize core ECUs and vehicle OS for 2029 cars

Nissan and Honda signed a joint development agreement to standardize the core electronic control units of their next-generation software-defined vehicles, along with the vehicle operating system, key parts of the middleware and the vehicle control software that run on those units. Both companies announced the agreement on Monday.

A footnote to Honda’s announcement defined the units in question as high-performance main ECUs that use SoCs, and zone ECUs that oversee each area of the vehicle. That covers both tiers of a centralized E/E architecture rather than a single domain. The companies said the architecture incorporating the jointly developed units and software is planned for application in their next-generation vehicles from fiscal year 2029 onward, and gave the rationale as reduced development costs and greater economies of scale.

Honda disclosed the agreement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission the same day on Form 6-K. That filing carried a line the two press releases did not: the transaction “is not anticipated to have a material impact on Honda’s consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027.” Neither document named a monetary value, a joint venture structure, a transferring headcount or a silicon supplier.

SDV Sector reported on July 27 that the two carmakers were in late-stage talks over a shared operating system, citing The Japan Times, with a formal agreement targeted for the end of August. Neither company had confirmed the plan at that point. Reuters has since reported that Mitsubishi Motors said it was considering joining the collaboration and remained in discussions with the two companies.