BMW and Daimler will jointly develop and purchase seat frames as part of a co-operation agreement designed to save costs, BMW said on Sunday. The co-operation will focus on metal seat frames for some of their premium car models, with the exterior finish still done independently, a BMW spokesman said, confirming a report that will appear in German weekly Der Spiegel this week.
"In co-operation talks, BMW and Daimler decided in future to jointly develop and purchase the structures of seats for some of their models," a spokesman said, adding that the co-operation could be expanded in the future.
The companies are in talks to create savings for premium auto brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
In an advance copy of its Monday edition, Spiegel said the companies would invest a double digit million euros amount in the project, which could yield up to 200 million euros ($257.5 million) in annual savings. The companies have identified a double-digit number of components that could be jointly purchased among auto suppliers, the spokesman said.