Marko Hanželic
Honda and Nissan signed on memorandum of understanding for feasibility study, to explore the possibilities of joint development of electric vehicles. If the two automakers reach an agreement, the partnership could also include software collaboration.
The collaboration is still in its infancy, but if they will Nissan in Honda concluded an agreement, they intend to focus their efforts on “automotive software platforms, core components related to electric vehicles and complementary products”. Some of the software could be related to safety and/or autonomous driving technologies, as a press release issued by both companies talks about "zero traffic accident fatality rate". It also includes the common goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
According to a report he published a few days ago Nikkei Asia, Nissan and Honda want to develop a new platform dedicated exclusively to electric vehicles. Cooperation could be extended to the joint construction of electric vehicles. Besides, you could Japanese car manufacturer pooled money to buy a common powertrain and batteries for electric vehicles.
The tie-up would not only speed up development but also lower R&D costs. Honda no longer cooperates with the joint development of affordable electric crossovers General Motors, so the fact that he is looking for a new partner is no surprise. Cooperation with GM will likely be limited to models honda prologue in acura zdx on the Ultium platform.
In the field of electric and other types of vehicles, Nissan has a partner in Renault. The next generation model Micra will be largely based on the redesigned model Renault 5. It will use about 80 percent of the same parts and will begin production in 2026 at Renault's Douai plant in northern France.
As Chinese competition is intensifying, while the group Volkswagen Group in stellantis are doubling their strengths in the field of electric vehicles, Nissan in Honda they don't want to fall behind. However, since the two have just signed a memorandum of understanding, this means that joint platform/car development is unlikely to happen in the next few years if a final deal is struck.
