This Is Why BMW And Mercedes Build Such Similar Cars

Amazingly, in the pursuit to one-up each other, the two automakers actually build models that are remarkably similar. Just take a look at the BMW X6 and the Mercedes GLE Coupe. It turns out that the similarities between these two automakers is not just a coincidence. In an interview quoted by Reuters, BMW said that it would cooperate with Mercedes to buy components.

BMW purchasing head Markus Duesmann said "It's not been fully exploited; there are regular talks and we are discussing jointly purchasing more components," when talking about cooperating with Daimler to purchase components. Duesmann did not give any details of the plans, or how much each automaker could save by cooperating. This is not the first time that the two companies have purchased the same components. BMW and Daimler first started cooperating in 2008 for components that aren't "crucial to the brands" such as tires and seat frames. The next components that could be shared are software for autonomous driving and car batteries.

We are in talks with all the major manufacturers and will make a decision for each model generation," said Duesmann. We have seen German automakers come together to improve autonomous driving, but this really shows that these companies are willing to work together. We always like to think that BMW and Mercedes are completely different, but maybe there isn't as much separating the two brands as we once thought.