Honda China, CATL deepen partnership on NEV tech R&D, supply chain management

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Honda Motor (China) Technology Co., Ltd. ("HMCT") and CATL recently signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen their strategic collaboration, according to a press release CATL issued on May 16 via its WeChat account. Building on an existing partnership, the two companies will further cooperate in areas such as new technology development and supply chain management, aiming to drive product innovation and elevate user experience through technological advancement.

A central focus of the expanded partnership will be comprehensive cooperation on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, Cell-to-Body (CTB) technology, supply chain optimization, and the development of 12V and hybrid power batteries. These efforts are designed to support the continued evolution of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry.

Looking ahead, the two sides plan to explore new models of commercial collaboration to strengthen their long-term strategic alignment.

Earlier this month, CATL also signed a memorandum of cooperation with Changan Mazda in Shanghai. The two companies will leverage CATL Integrated Intelligent Chassis ("CIIC")—commonly known as the skateboard chassis—and Changan Mazda's expertise in vehicle manufacturing to jointly develop smarter and more efficient NEV products.

Their collaboration will center on the skateboard chassis platform, where CATL's design features—such as decoupled upper and lower body structures, modular subsystems, standardized interfaces, and a flexible software-hardware decoupling architecture—enable rapid adaptation to multiple vehicle models. This will help significantly shorten vehicle development cycles and allow both partners to respond more swiftly to market shifts.