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Thursday, October 23, 2008
BMW has confirmed that it is talking to rival car manufacturers about selling them engine and gearboxes.
BMW’s head of development, Klaus Draeger, told [i]Auto Motor und Sport[/i] that BMW is in advanced talks about the possibility of licencing its engines to Mercedes.
“We are ready in principle to sell our engines to a competitor. And yes, we are talking openly with Mercedes about several possibilities,” Draeger said.
One strong possibility is for BMW to supply Mercedes with a new V12 engine it plans to unveil next year for use in the 7-series and the new ‘baby’ Rolls-Royce saloon. Based on a stretched version of BMW’s new turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, it could be used by Mercedes in both the S-class and the Maybach.
But Draeger also admitted that Mercedes is not the only car maker interesting in striking a deal with BMW – the company is in talks with Aston Martin and is also ready to sell its diesel engine technology to a US car maker looking for a clean diesel powerplant.
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