Report: Daimler and Bmw deny ending cooperation talks
By Andrew C., 26 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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Spokesmen of Daimler AG and BMW AG have stated that talks on a possible cooperation between them are ongoing. There had been speculations that the talks have ended without success. In particular, Der Spiegel magazine said talks to expand cooperation beyond hybrid powertains and purchasing to engines and transmissions have been broken off. A high-level manager was quoted to have said that there are "no new topics and no new meetings."
Der Spiegel reported that many meetings have transpired between Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and BMW's Norbert Reithofer in the past year but nothing substantial came out of it. Nevertheless, a Daimler spokesman said that the company continues to talk to BMW. No details were provided.
Meanwhile, a BMW spokesman said that talks about a purchasing cooperation were still being held. Last December, Daimler said that it was talking to various manufacturers including Renault about options for cooperation. What Daimler is discussing with Renault is a plan to help it expand the Smart minicar brand and its Mercedes-Benz A- and B-Class compact models. Renault is looking for a tie-up for a future range of low-cost city cars. [via autonews - sub. required]
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