With most companies running around to find the next big thing in internal combustion, Toyota and BMW have decided that they should collaborate to collectively work towards a greener future. Both companies have announced a new partnership in which the companies will jointly develop lithium-ion batteries and BMW will also supply diesel engines to Toyota in Europe.
The MOU was signed at the on-going Tokyo motor show to collectively work towards the next-generation environmental-technology projects.
So what does each company gets out of the deal?
- Toyota gets access to the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines from BMW. These engines will be plonked in specific Toyota-produced vehicles planned for sale in the European market. Will it be suitable for the Corolla and Camry?
- BMW will gain access to Toyota’s hybrid technology as it expands its offerings of low-emission vehicles. The companies will work on the next generation hybrid and EV technologies which will feature in the BMW ‘i’ and ‘Activehybrid’ range of vehicles.
The partnership will not affect BMW’s current collaboration with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen to develop hybrid systems for compact cars.
Let’s hope this German-Japanese collaboration is successful and does not head the Suzuki-VW way.
Source: InsideLine.com
