BMW Looking for Partner for Hybrid Car Batteries

Rumors regarding BMW's evolution into the hybrid and electric car market have been around for a while but it appears that BMW is indeed looking for a partner for its hybrid car batteries. The news was confirmed by Klaus Draeger, the company's head of R&D who said in a press conference that BMW is currently considering multiple names, including the ones based in Korea and Japan, but no decision has been made for the time being.

Instead, the company will continue its research into this sector, he said hinting that rumors claiming the German manufacturer will launch a small city car in the next few years are actually true.

"We are studying the battery market to see where to get the best cell technology for our mega city vehicle," Draeger said at a press conference according to Autonews. "We are examining the products of Korean suppliers like LG Chem, and we are talking to Japanese suppliers as well as U.S.-based suppliers like A123 Systems Inc."

As said, there are a lot of rumors surrounding BMW's plans into this particular sector, as the German manufacturer might have teamed up with Fiat to launch a new small city car expected to arrive anytime around 2011.

Norbert Reithofer, BMW chairman told just-auto.com earlier this month that the so-called Megacity will represent the beginning of a new generation low-emission models but avoided to provide too many details regarding the official launch date.

"This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high efficiency combustion engine. Large scale production could start in the first half of the next decade," he said on March 19.