If you remember, sometimes in March rumors surfaced about a possible 7 percent stock swap between BMW and Daimler. This plan, though later confirmed, was not approved by BMW's Quandt family out of fear that it is just the first step in a BMW-Daimler merger.
“The Quandt family would rather have a big influence at BMW than minimal influence at a combined company,” Jürgen Pieper, co-head of research at Bankhaus Metzler told NY Times.
This hasn't stopped BMW and Daimler from trying to reach an agreement regarding the joint purchase of components in the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA). Such a combined force would save "both of the companies hundred of billions of euros in the long run."
Not even the prospects of companies not part of a big group becoming extinct in a short time, as Fiat's CEO Sergio Marchionne predicts, doesn't scare the Germans. BMW says the power is still in the hands of the consumer. “Do people want to differentiate themselves from each other?” the CFO was quoted as saying by the source. “I think so. That wish is there and it is enduring.”
For both the US and European countries, BMW will try to adjust their offer to the demands of this new generation of consumers. We already told you that BMW will slowly shift to smaller displacement engines, just to satisfy those needs. By doing so, BMW tries to meet new emission laws, as well as the new environmental needs. “It costs us money, but I think it will pay off,” Eichiner added.
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