Two giants in the auto industry are partnering to advance the technology of the future, as BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover announced an electrification joint venture.
The two will share knowledge as well as resources to advance and solve technical challenges of autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and services (ACES). BMW boasts a near-decade of electrification experience while Jaguar Land Rover is pushing further into plug-in experience.
Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development said in a press release that the two brands will walk in step with shared services in production planning as well as savings from joint purchasing.
“The automotive industry is undergoing a steep transformation. We see collaboration as a key for success, also in the field of electrification,” Fröhlich said in the release. “With Jaguar Land Rover, we found a partner whose requirements for the future generation of electric drive units significantly match ours. Together, we have the opportunity to cater more effectively for customer needs by shortening development time and bringing vehicles and state-of-the-art technologies more rapidly to market.”
The two brands will operate a joint team in Munich and be tasked with developing Gen 5 power units that are designed for drivetrains to benefit both manufacturers. The release stated that they will each attempt to adhere to brand-specific propositions during the process.
The announcement comes on the heels of a similar venture that Toyota and Subaru are engaging in.
That venture was called “e-TNGA” and was designed to target mid-size cars, large passenger vehicles, as well as development of a C-segment-class SUV model.
BMW also announced that it would continue to attempt modernization of its combustion engines while focusing on its e-mobility and electrified fuel-cell powertrains.
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