Honda Motor Co is taking a major step toward its ambitious goal of eliminating traffic collision fatalities through a new multi-year collaboration with AI start-up, Helm.ai. The partnership will bring advanced artificial intelligence to Honda's vehicles, making self-driving capabilities more accessible and safer for everyday consumers.
At the heart of this collaboration is Honda's commitment to developing autonomous driving technology that prioritises real-world safety over flashy features. The company's Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) system represents a conservative but comprehensive approach to self-driving, requiring constant driver attention while aiding drivers with both highway and complex urban driving scenarios.
What sets Honda's approach apart is its use of Helm.ai's vision-based artificial intelligence, which can predict vehicle paths in real-time using only cameras rather than expensive sensors like lidar. This vision-first approach, demonstrated through Helm.ai Vision unveiled in June 2025, makes advanced safety features more affordable for typical car buyers rather than limiting them to luxury vehicles.
The system uses end-to-end AI architecture that learns from massive datasets to handle everything from recognising pedestrians and cyclists to making split-second decisions about steering and braking. The AI models are specifically adapted to Honda's rigorous safety standards and will be tested extensively before deployment.
Honda plans to introduce these capabilities first in its new 0 Series electric vehicles, which will launch in 2026, with broader roll-out across all Honda models planned for after 2027. The technology will eventually assist with accelerator and steering control throughout entire trips, seamlessly transitioning between city streets and highways.
"Through our collaboration with Helm.ai, we are advancing the development of AI technologies that enhance the real-world applicability of autonomous driving systems, bringing us closer to a future with zero traffic collision fatalities," emphasised Mahito Shikama, Honda's vice president of Software Defined Vehicle Business.
This partnership builds on Honda's 2021 investment in Helm.ai and the start-up's subsequent R524 million Series B funding round. With Helm.ai having raised R1.8 billion in total, the collaboration combines Honda's automotive safety expertise with Silicon Valley's AI innovation, potentially accelerating the timeline for making roads significantly safer for all users.
Volkswagen is abandoning its separate electric vehicle naming convention, opting instead to align its battery-electric models with established combustion engine nameplates. The German automaker announced that the strategy shift would begin with the ID Polo, set to debut in 2026.
“We are ready to hit the road with DFSK and will celebrate the official opening of the East London DFSK dealership on 6th September,” says Melanie Herman, owner and Dealer Principal of the new facility in the Eastern Cape city.
Article written in conjunction with Keyloop.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
Volkswagen is abandoning its separate electric vehicle naming convention, opting instead to align its battery-electric models with established combustion engine nameplates. The German automaker announced that the strategy shift would begin with the ID Polo, set to debut in 2026.
Camera-based technology that watches drivers' eyes and alerts them to being distracted is proving surprisingly popular, new research suggests, with nearly 90% of users keeping the system active.
In a groundbreaking achievement for electric mobility, Yangwang, BYD's premium automotive division, has shattered the global electric vehicle speed record at Germany's renowned Automotive Testing Papenburg (ATP) facility.
