Toyota using made-for-Tesla Panasonic batteries for China hybrids: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> has started using batteries that Panasonic Corp <6752.T> designed for Tesla Inc in some of its plug-in hybrids sold in China, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

Toyota is using Panasonic’s cylindrical batteries in its new Corolla and Levin plug-in hybrid sedans launched in China this year, the Nikkei said, without citing sources. Toyota is believed to have ordered about 50,000 of the batteries, the paper said.

A Panasonic spokeswoman said the company was not in a position to comment as a supplier, while Toyota declined to comment.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Kevin Buckland; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

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