Asia Tech Wire (Apr 8) -- Japanese automaker Toyota may partner with Chinese tech giant Huawei to create smart driving solutions.

Media reports have indicated that Toyota's smart driving solutions for its global models will come in the form of "Toyota + Huawei + Momenta", a three-way joint pattern.

Beijing-based autonomous driving company Momenta and Huawei provide software and hardware solutions, respectively, and the three parties have deep cooperation and integration.

Huawei currently has three types of cooperation models in the automotive sector, namely the component model, the HI model in which Huawei provides solutions, and the Smart Selection model in which Huawei deeply participates in product definition and sales.

Toyota is likely to adopt the first model, which Huawei has a relatively low level of involvement in, according to the reports.

Previous cooperation between the two companies has focused on the smart cockpit sector. Not long ago Toyota launched the ninth-generation Camry for the Chinese market, which features an in-vehicle system built in conjunction with Huawei.

Supply chain sources said that in addition to the partner's leading technology in the industry, a higher awareness of Huawei in the Chinese smart driving market may also be an important reason for Toyota to choose this mode of cooperation.

The news came out at a time when China's auto market landscape has changed dramatically, and Japanese brands once favored by consumers have suffered unprecedented sales slumps in China.

To improve their competitiveness in intelligence, Japanese automakers, including Toyota, are now trying to seek partnerships with local Chinese tech companies.