BMW and Jaguar Land Rover have announced they are throwing aside rivalry and will join forces to create the next-generation of electrification technology to help take the industry to the next level and bring developments to market quicker.
With both companies working extensively on electric vehicles and introducing pioneering products, they share the vision for an electrified future and will be able to share an impressive pool of resources and knowledge.
BMW has been producing electric drive units, creating award-winning models such as the hybrid i8 and i3. Jaguar Land rover, meanwhile has most recently brought to market its first all-electric vehicle, the I-Pace, which has won the World Car of the Year Award for 2019.
Starting next year, the BMW Group will introduce the fifth generation (Gen 5) of its eDrive technology, with the BMW iX3 Sports Activity Vehicle. The Gen 5 electric drive unit will be the propulsion system upon which subsequent evolutions launched together with Jaguar Land Rover will be based.
“The automotive industry is undergoing a steep transformation. We see collaboration as a key for success, also in the field of electrification. With Jaguar Land Rover, we found a partner whose requirements for the future generation of electric drive units significantly match ours. Together, we have the opportunity to cater more effectively for customer needs by shortening development time and bringing vehicles and state-of-the-art technologies more rapidly to market,” said Klaus Fröhlich, member of the board of management of BMW AG Development.
A joint team of BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover experts located in Munich will be tasked with further developing the Gen 5 power units with production of the electric drivetrains to be undertaken by each partner in their own manufacturing facilities.
