Toyota is preparing a new kind of flagship electric vehicle for China, one that blends its reputation for reliability with cutting edge Chinese software and hardware. At the heart of that strategy is a luxury EV platform capable of around 441 mile range, built around a massive battery and Huawei powered electronics that push the car closer to a rolling smartphone than a traditional sedan. If it works, this collaboration could reset expectations for how global automakers compete in the world’s most advanced EV market.
Rather than trying to build every digital feature in house, Toyota is leaning on Huawei, Xiaomi and other Chinese partners to supply motors, operating systems and autonomous driving brains. I see that as a deliberate bet that the future of premium cars will be defined less by engines and more by chips, software and ecosystems, and that the fastest way to catch up is to plug directly into the companies already leading that race.
The 441 mile benchmark and Toyota’s new luxury play
The clearest signal of Toyota’s new ambition is the decision to chase ultra long range and high end comfort in China’s people movers and sedans. One of the most striking examples is the Mega MPV, which is described as Packing a massive 102.7 kWh CATL Qilin battery and an 800-volt architecture rare in Chinese MPVs. That combination delivers about 441 mile of range, a figure that puts Toyota’s Chinese lineup squarely into the top tier of long distance EVs and signals that efficiency and charging speed are now core to its luxury pitch.
What makes that 441 mile target so important is that it reframes what a premium EV from a legacy brand can be in China. Instead of a conservative, shorter range model priced on brand heritage, Toyota is using the CATL Qilin pack and 800-volt system to match or exceed local rivals on hard specs, while layering in a more lounge like interior with a face to face lounge layout in the Mega. In my view, that is the template for the upcoming flagship sedan as well, where long range, fast charging and a quiet, tech heavy cabin become the baseline rather than the upsell.
Huawei, Xiaomi and Momenta move inside the car
To deliver that level of performance and digital polish, Toyota is letting Chinese tech giants move deep into the vehicle stack. The fully electric bZ7 sedan will be the first to feature the Huawei DriveONE powertrain, which combines the motor, MCU and inverter into a single integrated unit, according to Huawei focused reporting. That level of integration should cut weight and cost while simplifying packaging, and it also gives Huawei a powerful foothold in the most critical part of the EV drivetrain.
At the same time, Toyota is teaming up with New Chinese partners like Xiaomi, Huawei and Momenta to build out a full EV ecosystem that covers everything from infotainment to autonomous driving, as detailed in Toyota partnership coverage. Those alliances are meant to help Toyota house compact to midsize models on new platforms while Momenta contributes advanced driver assistance and autonomous software that can scale across the lineup.
Inside the bZ7: Harmony OS, lidar and serious power
The bZ7 is the clearest expression of this strategy, and it is being built from the ground up as a China first electric sedan. Toyota’s sleek bZ7 electric sedan, revealed earlier, will be the first to launch on the new NEV platform and is expected to arrive in March 2026, according to NEV platform details. That NEV architecture is one of Two New EV Platforms in the Pipeline, Starting with designs for “new energy vehicles” that are meant to be lighter and more efficient than Toyota’s earlier electric efforts, as described in Two New EV reporting.
On the hardware side, Regulatory filings show this motor will produce a peak output of 207 kW, that is about 278 horsepower, enough to move a large sedan with authority, according to Regulatory data. Toyota bZ7 EV will also use a Huawei e-motor, Harmony OS infotainment and ADAS with lidar, with a China launch planned for Q4 2025, as outlined by Mick Chan. That combination of high output, integrated power electronics and lidar based ADAS is what lets Toyota pitch the bZ7 as both a driver’s car and a semi autonomous chauffeur.
HarmonyOS and the battle for the dashboard
Beyond motors and batteries, the most radical shift is happening on the dashboard. Toyota has partnered with Huawei to integrate the Harmony OS operating system in its upcoming e-sedan, the bZ7, marking a significant move toward a China defined approach to in car software, as detailed in Harmony OS coverage. Harmony OS is already familiar to Chinese consumers through phones and smart home devices, so dropping it into the car lets Toyota tap into an existing app ecosystem and cross device services that Western rivals cannot easily match.
That decision is part of a broader pattern in which The Japanese automaker is deepening collaborations with Huawei, Xiaomi and Momenta as it accelerates its electric vehicle strategy, including HarmonyOS 5.0 running on Kirin chips, according to The Japanese focused reporting. I see that as a recognition that in China, the operating system and chip platform inside the car are as important to buyers as the badge on the hood, and that winning the battle for the dashboard now requires deep integration with local tech ecosystems rather than a one size fits all global interface.
Autonomy, Chinese luxury and the risk reward calculus
Toyota’s embrace of Chinese tech is also about catching up in autonomous driving. GAC Toyota, the joint venture between GAC and Toyota, is working on what has been described as China’s first autonomous electric vehicle, an initiative aimed at recapturing market share by closing the technological gap with local EV leaders, according to GAC project details. Momenta’s software and Huawei’s ADAS stack give Toyota a faster route to high level driver assistance than building everything from scratch in Japan.
On the luxury side, Huawei itself is already pushing into the ultra premium segment with a $140K Luxury EV Takes Aim at Maybach and Rolls, raising the question Will Buyers Bite on a Made in China flagship, as explored in Maybach and Rolls comparisons. By aligning with Huawei on powertrains and software, Toyota is effectively borrowing that luxury tech halo while still trading on its own reputation for durability, which could be a potent mix for Chinese buyers who want both prestige and proven engineering.
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