BEIJING, April 26 Reuters It39;s taken Huawei just four years to become a force in smart car technology, navigating the devastation of trade sanctions on its smartphones business while simultaneously developing a driver assistance system that is the darling of the Beijing auto show.

Huawei Technologies HWT.UL has two huge booths at this week39;s event, and there are at least seven Chinese automakers touting its Qiankun installed in their cars as the most sophisticated advanced driving assistance system ADAS to date.

Even Germany39;s Volkswagen will equip its Chinamade, Chinabound Audi Q6L etron with Qiankun upon the car39;s 2025 launch, in Huawei39;s first deal with a foreign automaker, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida39;s interest was piqued too as he visited a Huawei booth and listened to representatives explain the systems developed for the Seres car on display. A Nissan spokesperson said Uchida was touring booths and had no comment on any considerations of a Huawei tieup.

Audi said it does not comment on suppliers. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Huawei39;s rapid emergence as parts supplier highlights the telecommunications equipment maker39;s drive for sources of growth after U.S. export controls pursued on national security grounds since 2019 hammered its businesses, especially smartphones.

It has said it aims to become a toptier automotive supplier for the intelligent EV era, competing…