BMW plans more purchasing with Daimler

BMW plans to expand its cooperation with Daimler in purchasing components, the carmaker’s new head of purchasing said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“It’s not been fully exploited; there are regular talks and we are discussing jointly purchasing more components,” Markus Duesmann was quoted as saying in an advance copy of the interview, due to be published on Friday.

He did not give details of the plans or the possible savings that were being targeted.

Daimler and BMW first started cooperating on purchasing of parts that aren’t crucial to their brand identity in 2008, such as tyres and seat frames.

Duesmann also said BMW would have to alter its procurement to buy more software in the next few years to meet the trend for electric cars and autonomous driving. BMW could envisage using other battery suppliers too, he added.

“We are in talks with all the major manufacturers and will make a decision for each model generation,” he said.

BMW currently gets its batteries from Samsung.