BMW and Toyota agree on joint sports car platform

BMW and Toyota have agreed to jointly develop a new platform for a sports car, which will be shared by the two companies, according to a German newspaper report.

The two companies first expressed interest in the collaboration in 2012 and an agreement was signed in January 2013 to explore the feasibility of co-operating on various technologies including hybrid powertrain and lightweight construction.

In an interview with  German tabloid Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, BMW development boss Dr. Herbert Diess said “We have agreed on a joint architecture for a sports car. What is important is that there will be two different vehicles that are authentic to the two brands.”

Details remain scarce but both companies have confirmed in the original announcement that the platform will be designed for a mid-size sports car.

BMW reportedly had drafted six different design proposals, including front and mid engine layouts. The company have yet to confirm which platform will be chosen for the final project.

Toyota has also indicated that despite sharing the same platform with BMW, its version will have a different exterior design and interior layout as well as its own powertrain.

Speaking from Toyota’s home city of Nagoya, Japan, in January this year where the heads of both companies put pen to paper, Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG said:

“TMC and the BMW Group share the same strategic vision of future sustainable mobility. In light of the technological changes ahead, the entire automotive industry faces tremendous challenges, which we also regard as an opportunity. This collaboration is an important building block in keeping both companies on a successful course in the future.”

With the two automotive giants pooling their expertise and resources together, the plan mid-size sports car is bound to threaten many rivals.