Honda And Nissan Shared Car Software: What A Joint OS Would Really Change

Honda and Nissan have been moving toward a shared “vehicle OS,” but a joint system would require aligning architectures that don’t currently match. The article cites documented steps rather than public announcements: on Aug. 1, 2024, the companies agreed on joint research for a next-generation software-defined vehicle platform with roughly a year of basic research. Four months later, they signed an MOU for full business integration under a joint holding company, then on Feb. 13, 2025, Honda proposed restructuring so Honda would be the parent and Nissan the subsidiary via a share exchange; the MOU was terminated, though the strategic framework remains. The piece explains that a vehicle OS sits between silicon and apps, including hypervisor partitioning, real-time safety OS, Linux/Android cabin userspace, and AUTOSAR-style middleware. Honda’s ASIMO OS is EV-first, then expanded to hybrids, with a ¥1.0 trillion software commitment over three years and a domain-based E&E architecture.