Amid recent reports of a potential merger between BMW and the Jaguar Land Rover group, the CEO of the Bavarian company refused to confirm or infirm a potential buyout of the Brits. However, during a recent event held in Munich, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said the two companies could work even closer in the future as the business dictates that they do.
Speaking to media at the opening of BMW’s new Battery Cell Competence Center in Munich, Zipse definitely didn’t burn any bridges between the two companies, claiming closer cooperation could make them a bit more profitable on the long run: “Cooperation and working together is the new normal,” Zipse said to Auto Express. “It’s not only with drivetrains. We also have arrangements with a lot of other component manufacturers, where we go far beyond the normal supply chain.”
Zipse is referring to the recent deal signed between BMW and JLR per which the Germans are supplying 2-liter and 3-liter engines for various British models and the recently announced cooperation on EV tech. While this kind of deal is rather ordinary in today’s automotive landscape, things could evolve in the future. “With Jaguar Land Rover, we have announced cooperation on the electric drivetrain and that’s running very well. We have another cooperation with them on internal combustion engines. Anything else is the future. There’s no decision on it and I wouldn’t comment on something that has not been decided,” Zipse added.
That’s definitely an open door for future projects and it will definitely be interesting to see how things develop. BMW could buy the JLR division from their current owners, Tata Motors, but the Indian conglomerate is not necessarily looking to sell right now. Were that to change, I’m pretty sure BMW wouldn’t be the only one interested in buying at least a bite of that pie.
[Source: Auto Express]
