A Tesla-Toyota Partnership Might Be in the Works

Toyota and Tesla may pair up to jointly develop an electric vehicle platform, according to a report this week by Chosun Ilbo, one of South Korea's top three daily newspapers.

Citing a Japanese auto industry official, the newspaper reported that Toyota and Tesla have been in talks since last year and are about to enter the final phase of their discussions.

The talks are said to be centered on a plan that would see Toyota bring its engineering know-how to the table, with Tesla's expertise in software and control systems for electric powertrains the other half of the deal. The goal would be development of a new platform that would be used for a smaller SUV.

And for those who might be surprised to see these two companies linked together, this actually isn't the first time there’s been talk of such a partnership. Toyota was one of Tesla's first shareholders, but divested itself in 2016. The Japanese giant also launched an electric RAV4 in 2012, and it used a powertrain supplied by Tesla.

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