BMW confirmed they will be working with Toyota to develop green car technology on December 1, 2011. What kind of green cars will the two famous auto makers dream up to promote their brands independently while promoting their car owners drive responsibly with regards to buying eco-friendly technology?
Confessions of a car girl: new BMW’s with green car technology sounds exciting. So does beefing up a Toyota Prius to make it look more sporty by using carbon fiber and new European sports car design theories. That’s why the auto news that BMW is teaming up with Toyota to develop some radical new green car technologies is seriously exciting. The only bummer? They won’t be selling any of the hot wheels to their American markets. The companies are indicating they will be selling the new cars to their European market only.
Autoblog Green reports, “BMW has confirmed the German automaker will join forces with Toyota to create new green technologies. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding for mid-to-long-term collaboration on next-generation lithium-ion battery technology, with the option to expand the partnership into additional areas.”
In a recent press release dated December 1, 2011, the auto manufacturers confirmed, “BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announce that they today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning a mid-to-long-term collaboration on next-generation environment-friendly technologies.”
According to the notice, BMW plans to supply Toyota with 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines beginning in 2014. But, as Autoblog Green notes, “That doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing a clean-diesel Prius in the U.S. anytime soon, however.”
[Insert loud sigh and quietly note to self, “Bummer.”]
“BMW stresses that the engines will be used exclusively in Toyota products destined for the European market.”
The eco-friendly car website then went on to ponder the lengthy possibilities a BMW-Toyota hybrid union of sorts could bring to the new car market — just in time for the 2015 C.A.F.E. Cars deadline the Obama administration has planned for the United States.
“What other sorts of tech could be spread between the two automakers?” asked the writer. “BMW may have an eye on gleaning some hybrid knowledge from the fiercely successful Prius program, and we wouldn’t be surprised if BMW slipped its new partner a few hints on carbon-fiber construction, either. Either way, the partnership will likely save both automakers plenty of research and development dollars, helping to bring new tech to customers with a slimmer price tag than would otherwise be possible…” they then posited.
Go green.