This story probably would have made you laugh a few years ago. It would have seemed unthinkable, impossibile even. All the same, BMW is working with Hyundai to produce engines.
BMW is reportedly in talks with the Korean automaker to help shoulder some of the roughly $1.3-2.6 billion cost of developing a new engine family.
This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on Hyundai and BMW working together. In the past, word surfaced that BMW and Hyundai would sign on to the same project to bring new in-car tech into upcoming models.
The latest partnership could see those automakers coming together again in a more directly-linked agreement, though a BMW spokesperson declined to comment and details on such a partnership are unavailable.
According to Automobil Produktion, Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-koo’s son, Chung Eui-sun, met with a small group of BMW managers over the weekend, fueling the speculation.
While any confirmation is unlikely at this time, it would make sense for BMW to be aiming at a new engine line, especially after Audi’s recent acquisition of Ducati. That move will likely signal the brand’s coming development of small, high-powered engines that could give Audi a new competitive edge.
It’s something that will be expensive for BMW or any other company, to mimic without great expense, which is where a partner comes in. By sharing costs in development and production, both companies can leverage a larger budget to enjoy reduced overall costs that come with larger volume.
