Toyota to Set Up Research Institute with China

Toyota's Japan announced on Sunday it was setting up a research institute in Beijing in cooperation with Tsinghua University to study car technology using hydrogen power and other green technologies that could ease environmental problems in China, according to Reuters.

This dovetails with Toyota’s reports this month that it would offer carmakers and suppliers around the world free access to nearly 24,000 patents for electric vehicle technologies.

Toyota firm explained that it had started to supply fuel cell vehicle parts to Chinese commercial vehicle maker Foton and SinoHytec, without giving financial details of the deal.

The initiative is a part of the Japanese carmaker’s efforts to share more technology with China as it seeks to expand its business in the country by beefing up manufacturing capacity and distribution channels.