The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in February of 2011, and have now made the union official. A total of 100 million euros is being invested in the joint venture right off the bat, and 400 employees will be put to work at a new Research and Development Center in Munich by the end of 2011.
Until 2015, when production of actual electric and hybrid vehicle components gets underway at a facility in Mulhouse, France, expect the European automakers to work closely together on future fuel efficient technologies and strategies.
Feel free to read all about it in the press release after the break.
Building the mobility of the future together
BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën are investing more than 100 million euros in a joint competence centre for hybrid and electric drive technology ;
– Research and Development facility in Munich up and running ;
– production in Mulhouse to start in 2015 ;
– open technology platform for electric powertrains to give European industry a decisive boost.
Munich. One year after the two partners signed a memorandum of understanding, the joint venture formed by the BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën to develop and manufacture hybrid and drive technology is now up and running. The launch of the joint venture “BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification” creates the necessary conditions for the swift implementation of their common goals. Production of hybrid components for the electrification of both companies’ models is scheduled to begin in 2015. BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification is aimed at becoming one of the leading players in the field of electric powertrains within a few years, as well as a pacesetter on the road to the mobility of the future. Through the creation of an open technology platform, the joint venture intends to provide crucial support for the European industry as it structures itself in this domain.
“The BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën are following a joint path with clear and ambitious goals,” explained the Chairman of the Managing Board of BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification Wolfgang Güllich. “We want our company to be one of the leading suppliers in the field of electric powertrains over the next years.” To achieve this, the BMW Group and PSA are investing more than 100 million euros in the joint venture. Around 400 employees will work at the new Research and Development Centre in Munich by the end of 2011: The main profiles required are engineers specialised in electro-mobility and electronics. The hybrid components designed there will be manufactured at the facility in Mulhouse in France, which will have around 250 employees once ramp-up is complete. The development and production spectrum of BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification comprises all relevant components for electric powertrains, such as high-voltage batteries, electric motors, generators, power electronics, loading units and energy management software. As part of its independent activities, the joint venture will create an open technology platform that will allow it to integrate suppliers into the development and purchasing process and sell the hybrid components it produces to third parties.
“We will set new standards for tomorrow’s clean mobility with our agility, efficiency, and world class know-how in electrification systems” mentioned Jean Leflour, Managing Director of BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification.
The BMW Group and PSA Peugeot Citroën have been working together as partners in the field of drive technology for almost ten years. More than 1.8 million 4-cylinder petrol engines have already been produced for MINI, Peugeot and Citroën brand models as part of the partnership established in 2002. In February 2010, the two companies also agreed to continue their partnership with joint development of the next generation of these 4-cyclinder petrol engines. The joint venture now up and running will speed up the standardisation of hybrid components, which should also generate substantial economies of scale in purchasing and production.
