Skip to main content

BMW and Toyota to strengthen collaboration

Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), and Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW, have announced the planned expansion of their existing cooperation initiated in December last year. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at a long-term strategic collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification and joint research and de
July 3, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Akio Toyoda, president of 1686 Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), and Norbert Reithofer, chairman of 1731 BMW, have announced the planned expansion of their existing cooperation initiated in December last year. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at a long-term strategic collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification and joint research and development on lightweight technologies.

Reithofer and Toyoda also signed a joint statement to reconfirm their companies’ shared intention to strengthen the long-term, strategic collaboration between them.

In March 2012, the BMW Group and TMC signed a binding agreement on collaborative research in the field of next-generation lithium-ion battery cells. In addition, the BMW Group and Toyota Motor Europe entered into a contract in December last year, under which the BMW Group will supply highly efficient 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre diesel engines to Toyota Motor Europe starting in 2014.

This latest MoU represents the companies’ agreement in December last year to identify and discuss other possible collaborative projects.

Related Content

  • February 27, 2013
    Continental and BMW Group partner on automated driving
    German automotive supplier Continental and BMW Group are pooling their development capacities to define the long-term prerequisites for series introduction of highly automated driving on European freeways. The two companies have signed an agreement to jointly develop an electronic co-pilot for this purpose, with the aim of paving the way to automated driving functions beyond the year 2020. “Automated driving is a key element in future mobility. It will significantly enhance safety, comfort and efficiency on
  • May 17, 2012
    Toyota launches collaborative safety research centre in US
    Toyota is launching a new, advanced safety research centre that will collaborate with leading North American universities, hospitals, research institutions, federal agencies and other organisations on projects aimed at reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries on America's roads. Toyota's new Collaborative Safety Research Centre (CSRC) will be based at the Toyota Technical Centre (TTC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan and will involve Toyota researchers and engineers from North America and Japan. The com
  • April 19, 2012
    Daimler and Bosch announce JV
    Daimler and Robert Bosch have signed agreements on the establishment of a 50:50 joint venture (JV) for electric motors. Subject to the approval of the antitrust authoritie, the new company, which is to be set up under the name EM-motive, will develop, produce, and market innovative electric motors for electric vehicles.
  • April 27, 2015
    Toyota launches congestion management pilot in Thailand
    Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) will partner with Chulalongkorn University (Chula) on a pilot traffic and congestion management project on the heavily-congested Sathorn Road, Bangkok, Thailand. The project, which will take an estimated eighteen months to complete, from April 2015 –to December 2016, and a US$3.4 million investment, will create a road map to manage traffic control and flow by focusing on four areas. These include the developing sustainable shuttle bus and p