BMW And Mercedes Consider Sharing Future Small Car Platform

BMW and Mercedes-Benz could jointly develop the next generations of their compact cars — the BMW 1 series and the Mercedes A-class family — as part of a wider cooperation that would also include sharing technology for autonomous cars, a German newspaper reported.

The two automakers need to rein in costs so they can afford to invest billions in self-driving systems to avoid losing their technological edge to traditional rivals and newcomers such as Waymo, Handelsblatt said.

Sharing a compact-car architecture would save the two automakers billions in investment costs, the paper reported, quoting insiders with knowledge of the discussions.

Car4life1 - 1/22/2019 9:55:02 AM

+3 Boost

LOL bmw wants in on those CLA, GLA, and A hatch/sedan sales...

zlives - 1/23/2019 7:29:29 PM

+1 Boost

in other news, GM wants to partner with Ford and Dodge on trucks...

PUGPROUD - 1/22/2019 10:00:42 AM

+2 Boost

"The best things and best people rise out of their separateness: I'm against homogenization...because I want the cream to rise."....Robert Frost.

I'm with Robert on this one.

dlin - 1/22/2019 11:26:53 AM

+3 Boost

Sounds like a plan. Who else are joining? Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac?

malba2367 - 1/22/2019 12:21:27 PM

+5 Boost

May as well include VW/Audi/Porsche and formally admit they all operate as a cartel.

MDarringer - 1/22/2019 7:19:46 PM

+2 Boost

Given how crappy the BMW FWD platform in and given how plagiarized the MB platform is...this is the blind leading the blind.