BMW and Toyota will collaborate on a midsize sports car, the automakers revealed today. As part of a larger long-term collaboration, the two automakers will jointly develop a midsize sports vehicle, fuel cell system, research lightweight technology, and even lithium-air batteries that are said to provide a much greater energy density than lithium-ion batteries.
With the new agreement, the automakers will work together to develop a fundamental fuel-cell vehicle system, including a fuel cell stack, hydrogen tank, motor and battery. The automakers hope to have the project completed by 2020, with a prototype as early as 2015. Also part of the plan, Toyota and BMW will attempt to streamline hydrogen refueling infrastructure codes and standards. Future Toyota and BMW hybrids may use a lithium-air battery – development of which is one element in the four-part collaborative effort.
The “mid-size sports vehicle” would be just the first to benefit from BMW-Toyota research into lightweight technologies for vehicle bodies, including reinforced composites. While the lightweight rear-drive Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ triplets were a joint project between Toyota and Subaru, some speculate that the new BMW-Toyota midsize sports car could yield a new Supra. Expect to see a concept giving us an idea of what to expect from the platform by the end of 2013.
