AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)09/06 Report--

Honda and General Motors have further expanded their cooperation, and under the latest agreement signed by the two parties, they will achieve unity in procurement, research and development and platform in the North American market, thus improving cost efficiency.

Honda and General Motors said on September 3 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to form the North American Automobile Alliance, which will develop new models for their respective brands in the future. According to the agreement, both parties realize the unification of platforms, engines and engines for electric vehicles in the North American market, and plan to cooperate in R & D and sharing platforms as soon as early 2021, which can be used for fuel vehicles and electric vehicles.

In the cooperation plan, the two sides also include cooperation in parts procurement and "car networking" in the cooperation plan to drive cost reduction.

Honda and GM began working together in 2013 on fuel cell vehicles and autonomous driving. In April, GM also said it would assist Honda in developing two new electric vehicles equipped with GM's upcoming Ultium battery, which Honda will launch in North America after the second half of 2023.

The cooperation between the two companies takes the form of an "alliance" cooperation, and there are no plans for capital cooperation or share purchase at this stage.

Honda executive vice president Seiji Kurashishi said: "The alliance with GM allows us to significantly improve cost efficiency in North America, so that we will have more funds to invest in future mobility technologies, while maintaining our own characteristics and competitive products."

GM President Marco Ruiz said in a joint statement: "Through the alliance, both parties will optimize resource allocation and accelerate investment in future mobility. The collaboration between the two companies has been very close, so significant synergies will be realized in developing the current vehicle lineup."

Improving operational efficiency and cost competitiveness to integrate alliances is the trend of today's automobile manufacturers. In June 2020, Volkswagen Group and Ford Motor Company formally signed a strategic alliance agreement, which will realize collaborative cooperation in the fields of medium pickup trucks, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles. The two companies will launch midsize pickup and commercial models jointly developed for the global market from 2022, while Ford will build an all-electric model for European customers based on Volkswagen Group MEB platform, which is scheduled to launch in 2023.

In July this year, PSA Group and FCA Group merged after the new group was also officially confirmed, named "STELLANTIS". The advantages of the merger are technology, product and platform-related cost savings, and the ability to cope with slowing demand and rising electrification costs in the global automotive market.

On the other hand, the three enterprise alliances formed by Renault of France, Nissan Automobile and Mitsubishi Automobile also promote cost reduction in platform unification.

As market competition intensifies, the integration of automobile manufacturers accelerates, and the future cooperation direction will be further expanded.

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