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Toyota, Honda and Nissan have agreed a strategy to strengthen cooperation in automotive software development in order to deal with the leading US and Chinese manufacturers in automotive technology, according to foreign media reports. According to reports, this cooperation will focus on promoting the unification of API standards, that is, the interface specifications between all kinds of software and systems, such as the opening and closing mode of doors and windows and the operation mode of wipers, so that software from different manufacturers can be used on all kinds of vehicles, making it convenient for software developers to work and effectively reduce workload.

It is understood that this cooperation is part of the "mobile travel digital platform strategy" jointly launched by the Ministry of economy, Trade and Industry of Japan to promote the development of the next generation of cars, namely "SDV" ("Software Defined Vehicle software-defined cars"), and the Big three are also considering further cooperation in the field of self-driving in the future. Prior to this, Honda and Nissan jointly held a press conference. In order to further deepen the strategic partnership framework, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding on deepening the strategic partnership, reached a joint research agreement on the basic elements of the next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform, and signed a memorandum of understanding on deepening the strategic partnership. Related to the battery and electric vehicle drive device "E-Axle" and other technical fields.

It can be seen that under the pressure of industry change and transformation, Japanese car companies are accelerating to keep warm together. The "Big three" of the Japanese automobile industry, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, will strengthen cooperation in automobile software development, which is considered to be the performance of accelerated gathering among Japanese car companies under the wave of electrification and intelligence. As the development of new software systems requires a huge investment in research and development, the three car companies plan to work together to reduce costs. However, whether the three car companies can go to the end together is also unknown.

It is worth mentioning that Japanese car companies have already started relevant cooperation. In August this year, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Nissan"), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Honda") and Mitsubishi Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Mitsubishi") signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Mitsubishi will participate in the research framework based on the Memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Nissan and Honda on March 15 to begin to consider establishing a strategic partnership for intelligent and electrified vehicles. Earlier this year, in May, the heads of Toyota, Mazda and Subaru promised to continue to invest in internal combustion engine technology and to help internal combustion engine decarbonization by combining internal combustion engine with electric technology. In addition, in the field of electrification, Mazda, Suzuki and Subaru all have cooperative relations with Toyota to jointly develop electric vehicles with the help of their technology. Suzuki and several semiconductor and communications companies will also jointly develop software such as autopilot and map navigation in 2024, the report said.

At the crossroads of new energy transformation, Japanese car companies are facing unprecedented challenges. By "keeping warm together" and strengthening international cooperation, Japanese car companies are expected to make breakthroughs in reducing costs and improving technological strength, so as to occupy a place in the new energy vehicle market. In terms of working together to improve efficiency, Japanese car companies should learn from Chinese car companies. Competition among enterprises is necessary, but it should also be established on the premise of keeping enterprises healthy. If competition becomes internal friction, it will only damage the global competitiveness of Chinese car companies. However, it is impossible for the cooperation between Japanese car companies to be effective in the short term, this is a long-term process, and in this process, changes in the automobile market will affect the cooperation between enterprises, so whether the cooperation between the three enterprises can meet expectations is full of uncertainties.

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