- BMW and Toyota on Friday expanded their joint research and development beyond previously announced environmental technologies work.
- Under the latest agreement, BMW and Toyota will cooperate in four areas: vehicle architecture and components, including for sports cars; fuel cells; lightweight technologies and vehicle electrification.
- BMW and Toyota executives insist the development agreement is not a sign of the companies merging.
MUNICH, Germany ? BMW and Toyota announced on Friday that they will jointly develop sports cars, in addition to collaborating on environmental technologies including fuel cells, vehicle electrification and lightweight materials. No details on the jointly developed future sports cars were provided.
"I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this relationship," said Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation, as he signed the agreement in Munich Friday with BMW Board Chairman Norbert Reithofer. "I am the one most looking forward to a sports car that is environmentally friendly and truly excites car fans around the world."
Since 2009 when he took the reins of the company his grandfather founded, Toyoda has promised more emotional cars to replace Toyota's bland ones. The much more stylish 2013 Toyota Avalon, which goes on sale in the U.S. at year's end, is the first vehicle to have Toyoda's imprint. "The attractive and emotional products we plan cannot be born in conference rooms but only where real development takes place," Toyoda said Friday.
One of those places promises to be Germany's famous N?rburgring. "When I drive at N?rburgring, there is always a car that passes me, and it is a BMW," said Toyoda, an avid racer. "BMW knows how to make a car perform. BMW knows more than anyone else that roads make cars. At N?rburgring, BMW is my greatest rival and has earned my utmost respect."
Toyota and Subaru already have collaborated sports car development with the result being the hot-selling Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.
The announcement Friday by BMW and Toyota expands on cooperative arrangements agreed to earlier by the two companies. Last December, BMW and Toyota announced they would explore joint research on mid- to long-term, next-generation environmental technologies that leveraged Toyota's expertise in hybrids and BMW's diesel expertise. In March, the companies kicked off joint research into next-generation, lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid and electric cars. The deal also included BMW supplying Toyota's European subsidiary with diesel engines starting in 2014.
The two companies insist they will remain independent entities but will continue to explore areas for collaboration.
Inside Line says: What do you get when you cross a BMW with a Toyota sports car? Company executives promise emotion, performance and environmental friendliness.
Source: http://www.insideline.com/bmw/bmw-toyota-plan-to-jointly-develop-sports-cars.html
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