6:24 am, December 1, 2011
BMW Group and Toyota have signed a deal concerning a mid-to-long-term collaboration on the next-generation environment-friendly technologies.
The German firm will supply Toyota with 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel units from 2014, and will be installed in European-bound Toyotas.
The two car giants will also collaborate on research of the next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies.
Making the announcement, Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, said: ‘Toyota is the leading provider of environment-friendly series technology in the volume segment, and the BMW Group is the most innovative and sustainable manufacturer of premium automobiles.
‘We are now joining forces to further develop environment-friendly technologies and to expand our innovation leadership in each of our segments. Supplying Toyota with our fuel efficient and dynamic diesel engines represents another important step in the planned expansion of our sales activities for engines and powertrain systems.’
Representing Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda said: ‘It is a great joy and a thrill to enter into this mid-to-long-term collaborative relationship with BMW, a company with its own culture and history from its many years of car manufacturing in Europe, and a company that makes cars that are fun to drive.
‘In the spirit of contributing to furthering the development of the auto industry and society, both companies will bring their wide-ranging knowledge – starting with that concerning environmental technologies – to the table and make ever-better cars.’
