Like a bad reality show, the figurative clock is ticking for the Toyota/BMW courtship that may or may not be spawning a sports car.
Reuters reported (via Automotive News Europe) that Toyota spokesman said the companies would make a decision on whether to pursue the joint project further.
“By the end of the year we will approve whether or not we will make it,” a Toyota spokesman told Reuters. “The whole study before that, on what kind of platform, on what kind of architecture, that’s been progressing quite well. We haven’t yet decided to give the green light to the project, but it’s coming up.”
The sports car would be only part of the Toyota-BMW courtship. So far, according to the report, the two companies have developed fuel cell technology, lighter weight components for cars and a potential architecture for a sports car.
“They are all on schedule and on track,” said Johan van Zyl, head of Toyota’s European operation.
It’s hard to believe that Toyota and BMW would figuratively fuel the missile if they weren’t ready to fire, so its hard to believe that a jointly developed car wouldn’t come out of the partnership. BMW CFO Friedrich Eichiner even told Reuters that his company was in talks about “intensifying” the partnership, but didn’t give any details.
But the inability of both companies to formally make a marriage out of their 3-year-old tech agreement could indicate hesitation to take to market another two-seater sports car that will sell in limited numbers, and be hopelessly dwarfed by crossovers everywhere.
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