RE: BMW Agrees Deal With Benz
Thursday 23rd October 2008
Arch showroom rivals BMW and Mercedes have reportedly shaken hands on an agreement that will see shared components used in the manufacturer of both brands – and the move could extend to shared engines in the future.
It has been rumoured previously that Merc and BMW could share development of a future V12 engine. This was given weight to in the interview by Draeger, who said BMW is ready to make engines available to competitors, including Mercedes. Reports say BMW is already talking to Aston Martin about a similar move on engine sharing, but no agreement has been reached thus far.
BMW Agrees Deal With Benz
The rivals will now share components
The cost-saving measure has been confirmed to Germany’s Auto Motor & Sport magazine by Klaus Dreager, development head at BMW. The two firms already combine forces to purchase hidden items like air conditioning systems, but both marques are looking for more ways to save extra Euros as the credit crunch hits the automotive industry hard.
Don’t expect either prestige German marque to trumpet any future moves, but they’ll be happening behind the scenes. “The use of economies of scale is being implemented. We don’t need model changes or official announcements,” Draeger told AM&S.
Discussion
Doesnt bother me too much just as long as they dont end up like VAG where all the cars are the same but look different.
I dont see how they can benefit from economies of scale with components - surely selling as many cars as BMW do worldwide then their suppliers are going to be doing it for as cheap as they possibly can anyway? Sharing the cost of engine development would work for them but an engine gives such an important characteristic to the car i would rather they didnt share.
I dont see how they can benefit from economies of scale with components - surely selling as many cars as BMW do worldwide then their suppliers are going to be doing it for as cheap as they possibly can anyway? Sharing the cost of engine development would work for them but an engine gives such an important characteristic to the car i would rather they didnt share.
Trust the Germans. Join hands and compete against the rest of the world. Clever, and sensible, chaps. My betting is that the vast majority of customers only really care about the look etc and badge of the car; not where the components came from.
I do realise that lots of PHers fall ouside that category but this is not about niche marketing; it's about survival. Good luck to 'em. Personally, I have no probs with the VAG sharing components amongst their brands. Everybody wins - even though some purists may feel cheated.
I do realise that lots of PHers fall ouside that category but this is not about niche marketing; it's about survival. Good luck to 'em. Personally, I have no probs with the VAG sharing components amongst their brands. Everybody wins - even though some purists may feel cheated.
tomTVR said:
Zod said:
Dr S said:
I wouldn't mind if they put a tweaked version of BMW's twin turbo 4.4 litre V8 into the Vantage as long as the sound is as gorgeous as it is today 
5l V10 in DB9, please.tomTVR said:
Zod said:
Dr S said:
I wouldn't mind if they put a tweaked version of BMW's twin turbo 4.4 litre V8 into the Vantage as long as the sound is as gorgeous as it is today
5l V10 in DB9, please.The V10 is a cracking engine, but it sounds crap standard, and is missing 2 cylinders to go into an Aston Martin!
V8 or V12 only purlease....unless it's a DB5
LongLiveTazio said:
Gatso Hater said:
Things must be really bad if they're doing that. Can't see it being a good thing.
Almost like there's a massive world-wide recession or something, huh?!JR said:
tomTVR said:
Zod said:
Dr S said:
I wouldn't mind if they put a tweaked version of BMW's twin turbo 4.4 litre V8 into the Vantage as long as the sound is as gorgeous as it is today
5l V10 in DB9, please.Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff