Has Toyota now become a battery supplier? That's certainly the plan, as it's set to supply fellow Japanese automaker Honda with batteries to power up around 400,000 of its hybrid vehicles sold in the U.

Toyota's N.C. battery plant gets a new customer—and Honda hopes it has a workaround to the unpredictable U.S. market.

NikkeiAsia reported that Honda is ordering batteries from Toyota for at least 400,000 vehicles it plans to sell in the U.S. over the next 12 months.