German luxury-car maker BMW and Japanese automaker Toyota Motor (TMC) are planning to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand their cooperation in areas like hybrid and fuel-cell vehicle technology.
Under the planned deal, BMW is expected to offer its expertise on light car bodies made from carbon fibre to TMC, as reducing a car's weight leads to better fuel efficiency.
The initial cooperation involved technology for electric cars, and the extended deal will focus on batteries for hybrid gasoline-electric and fuel-cell vehicles.
In December 2011, BMW and TMC had signed a MOU to jointly develop next-generation environment-friendly lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.
As per the MoU, the German luxury carmaker will supply 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter diesel engines to TMC's European subsidiary Toyota Motor Europe (TME), starting in 2014.