Key Takeaways Toyota and its Chinese state-owned joint venture partner Guangzhou Automobile Group expect to release an electric vehicle (EV) capable of autonomous driving in China next year.The move comes after Tesla recently won tentative approval to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the country.

Reuters, citing one of Toyota's joint ventures in the country, says that Toyota plans to launch the Bozhi 3X SUV next year. This will be the manufacturer's first vehicle to offer advanced driving assistance for parking and navigation on highways and within urban traffic.

GAC Toyota is developing the system with Momenta Global, a startup that develops autonomous driving software for automakers including Mercedes-Benz. It also works with Huawei HWT to use the latter's in-vehicle operating software starting with an electric sedan to be launched in 2025 for China.

A full self-driving EV from Toyota may not be as far away as we think. The automaker is taking some big steps toward bringing such a car to the U.S. soon.

Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) revelaed its second quarter deliveries, joining Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor (NYSE: F). In a nutshell, Toyota has something to brag about as its EV sales quadrupled in the second quarter.