Honda and Nissan Eye Cooperation; Shared Electronic Control Units Could Be First Result

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Honda President Toshihiro Mibe revealed at the annual shareholders' meeting that cooperation with Nissan is "progressing quite smoothly, and some aspects are close to being announced." Sharing electronic control units (ECUs) could be the first tangible outcome. This statement partly aimed to ease shareholder concerns over recent financial performance—Honda reported its first-ever annual net loss.

Earlier this week, it was reported that multiple models from Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi (including hybrid and electric vehicles) would adopt common ECUs. According to Nikkei Asia, the three companies still need to agree on development funding and other terms, but the agreement is expected to be signed within weeks. Shared ECUs could hit the market around 2029 or 2030. Once different brands' models use the same "brain," subsequent collaboration will be smoother, with the common control unit seen as the foundation for future technology integration.

A potential obstacle to the cooperation comes from Renault. The French brand still holds 15% of Nissan's voting rights. According to reports, Renault may have recently influenced shareholder voting, leading to the rejection of Nissan's proposal to appoint Motoo Nagai as an external director. Since Nissan is a publicly traded company, any significant capital alliance with Honda requires shareholder approval, and this incident shows that Renault still has considerable influence in related matters.

Honda is currently under significant operational pressure. The company posted a net loss of 423.9 billion yen (approximately $2.62 billion) for the fiscal year ending in March. Toshihiro Mibe stated that if Honda cannot "defeat emerging players" within three years, its four-wheel vehicle business will face difficulties.