According to one of its Chinese joint ventures, Toyota plans to provide the first electric car model with an advanced autonomous driving system comparable to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving for the Chinese market next year.

Through the joint venture with the state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), the Japanese carmaker hopes to regain its market position in China by keeping up with Chinese competitors in the fields of intelligent vehicles, hybrids, and batteries.

At a Guangzhou event, the partnership unveiled a number of innovative ambitions.

The Bozhi 3X SUV, according to GAC Toyota, will be the first vehicle to be fitted with a technology that allows for enhanced driving assistance for parking and navigation in both urban and highway traffic starting next year.

It stated that by doing this, it will guarantee its dominance in China’s autonomous driving technology market among all international companies.

GAC Momenta Global, a firm that creates autonomous driving software for manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), opens new tab, is working with Toyota to build the system.

Additionally, it collaborates with Huawei to employ the latter’s in-car operating software, beginning with the 2025 introduction of an electric sedan in China.

The carmaker said that it will introduce a lithium-ion battery made of iron phosphate in 2026 and 2027, which might result in a 40% decrease in the cost of producing its bZ4X EV.

According to data from the China Association, Toyota suffered a 22% decrease in automobile sales in China during the first four months of this year, placing it sixth out of all brands.

(Adapted from Business-Standard.com)