DC, BMW Joins on Rear-Drive Hybrids

2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

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BMW and DaimlerChrysler have announced that they will team up to develop a hybrid powertrain to be used in large rear-drive vehicles.

The announcement came as increases in the number of hybrids put on the road have begun to tail off somewhat. A recent Polk survey said the pace of new hybrid registrations had slowed, even though sales of vehicles likeToyota’s Prius are booming. The hybrid movement could get a renewed push, however, this summer as gas prices rise again to $3 or more, as analysts have predicted.

The new BMW/DC hybrid drivetrain is an equal partnership, the companies confirmed in a release. The first products to use the drivetrain will come to market within three years. And the collaboration will enable the companies to split the cost of developing the hybrids.

Core development work on the “mild” hybrids, which means the vehicles will not be able to drive solely on electric power, will be done in Germany . But the companies will pursue different applications in production, they insisted in a release.

The joint venture is an extension of a deal that the companies enjoined in 2005. That resulted in the Hybrid Development Center in Troy, Mich. , which has led to the cooperation just announced.

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