Recently, Zhou Feng, Deputy General Manager of Dongfeng Nissan, said in an interview that Nissan has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei, becoming the first joint venture brand to cooperate with HarmonyOS cockpit in an all-round way.

This cooperation is not only an important step in Nissan's global digital planning and construction but also of great significance to Huawei's HarmonyOS. According to the cooperation agreement, Nissan will introduce Huawei's HarmonyOS to provide intelligent cockpit solutions for its new generation of smart cars. Huawei's HarmonyOS will bring Nissan a brand-new intelligent interconnected experience, including but not limited to intelligent voice assistants, a rich application ecosystem, and multi-screen interaction functions. In addition, Huawei's HarmonyOS may also help Nissan upgrade and innovate in fields such as autonomous driving, Internet of Vehicles, and big data applications in the future.

It is reported that Dongfeng Nissan and Huawei cooperate through the HI mode, which adopts some of Huawei's core technologies and solutions, while the vehicle development, definition, and sales are led by the automaker. Under this cooperation mode, Dongfeng Nissan can introduce Huawei's advanced technology while retaining its brand characteristics, thereby enhancing product competitiveness. Meanwhile, the technical advantages of HarmonyOS Intelligent Drive can solve the inherent issues of Dongfeng Nissan models and provide more diversified configurations to meet market demand. Dongfeng Nissan chose to cooperate with Huawei's HarmonyOS Intelligent Drive for multiple reasons. On the one hand, amidst the wave of intelligence sweeping the automotive industry, Dongfeng Nissan has obvious shortcomings in intelligence. In contrast, domestic brands are developing rapidly in the field of intelligence, with various cutting-edge technologies emerging endlessly, putting tremendous pressure on Dongfeng Nissan. On the other hand, market trends are also pushing Dongfeng Nissan. According to public media data, its sales have continued to decline. From January to September this year, Nissan's total sales in China were only over 500,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 5.48%. This decline in both sales and profits highlights the severe challenges Dongfeng Nissan faces in the current market environment.

However, cooperating with Huawei does not mean that Dongfeng Nissan can rest easy. To completely get rid of the predicament, relying solely on HarmonyOS is unrealistic. Brands and models such as BAIC ARCFOX and Changan Avitar, which have previously cooperated with Huawei, have already given their answers with sales figures, indicating that Huawei's HI mode has not brought truly effective support to these two automakers.

Of course, as a joint venture brand, Dongfeng Nissan's cooperation with Huawei is still a positive factor. It not only signifies that Dongfeng Nissan has taken an important step towards intelligence but also demonstrates its strategic shift in response to consumer demand in the Chinese automotive market. In addition to cooperating with Huawei, Dongfeng Nissan is also collaborating with technology companies such as Momenta, iFLYTEK, and NVIDIA, and its R&D center will expand from 2,000 to 4,000 people. During the recent China International Import Expo, Nissan announced that it is accelerating its transformation and layout towards electrification and intelligence to meet the diversified needs of the Chinese market. Obtaining and applying technologies such as Huawei's intelligent cockpit and Momenta's intelligent driving is only the first step for Dongfeng Nissan. For Dongfeng Nissan, these technologies must ultimately be showcased to consumers through powerful products. By the 2026 fiscal year, Nissan plans to launch eight new energy vehicle models specifically for the Chinese market. Among them, five models will be under the Nissan brand. It is expected that several new Nissan models will be equipped with the aforementioned partner technologies in the future. Whether these models will be favored will be known then.

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