Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Another East-West alliance: BMW and Toyota
On December 1, Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW AG announced that they had forged a partnership in which the two companies will conduct joint battery research for next-generation green cars and BMW will supply diesel engines to Toyota. "We think that this collaboration will allow for development of next-generation batteries to be done faster and to a higher level," Takeshi Uchiyamada said at a press conference in Tokyo. In addition to the research on lithium-ion batteries, BMW and Toyota will discuss other possible environmental-technology projects. The partnership may be beneficial to both partners. It gives BMW a low-risk involvement in battery development with the world leader in hybrid engines while filling a hole in Toyota’s power-train lineup with BMW’s state-of-the-art diesel technology. Toyota will use the 1.6- and 2-liter engines from BMW starting in 2014 in cars sold in Europe, where diesel-powered vehicles make up more than 50% of the market. In addition, the agreement will also reduce BMW’s engine-production costs per unit via a volume increase. BMW is a market leader in the premium segment; however, the company lacks the economies of scale of mass-market auto makers like Volkswagen AG or General Motors Co. The companies have yet to settle on such details as the number of engines to be supplied and to which Toyota models they will be installed in.
Despite their fuel economy, diesel engines are not popular in Los Angeles because of the premium price that is currently attached to the fuel. However, improved battery technology may spark considerable interest. Smaller batteries with a greater charge capacity could boost the appeal of both hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles to Angelenos interested in eco-friendliness and fuel savings.
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