BMW to Mass-Produce Fuel Cell Vehicle from 2028 with Toyota

Tokyo, Sept. 5 (Jiji Press)--German automaker BMW AG said Thursday that it will begin mass-producing its first fuel cell vehicle in 2028 in a tie-up with Japan's Toyota Motor Corp.

BMW and Toyota will jointly develop the fuel cell system, which will also be mounted on Toyota models. They aim to create demand for fuel cell vehicles as next-generation green cars amid the declining boom for electric vehicles.

The two companies cooperate in the field of fuel cell vehicles from 2012, hoping to cut production costs by sharing key components.

They will also tackle the shortage of hydrogen-refueling stations for such vehicles.

In an online presentation Thursday, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse emphasized that his company aims to produce fuel cell vehicles by boosting the relationship with Toyota to the next stage.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]